Black Water
by SandmanCircus
Summary: Eruka Frog is a swamp witch who was forced to take an oath to aid anyone who asks for help - even when a wounded werewolf lands himself in her swamp, begging for her to heal him. Free has lost his immortality due to a curse that began within his own clan and, as the witch and the werewolf grow closer, the identity of the true culprit behind both their curses becomes apparent.
1. Chapter 1

Eruka stepped barefoot through the swamp, her muddied gown trailing like a soiled veil in the black water behind her. She paid the weight of it no mind, focused instead on the feel of cool sediment pressing between her toes.

The swamp was calm that night, quiet save for the sweet song of crickets, the faint buzz of passing fireflies, and the sound of displaced water as Eruka waded towards an outcrop of smooth stones in the distance. Her evening had been filled with gathering ingredients and laying traps along the swamp's perimeter; it was a day she'd lived many times, and a routine that had grown comfortable over the years.

She lowered herself on a stone, setting the basket in her arms on another, a worn wicker cradle filled with various plants and herbs ready to be dried and hung. Her seat was hard and cold, but she ignored it in favour of the wind brushing against her skin. With a satisfied groan Eruka stretched out her legs, arms raising above her head.

That's when her foot hit something soft.

Eruka stilled.

Something _hairy._

She nudged it further and found that it was slightly firm, connecting to a larger mass. After a pregnant pause, one filled with a growing unease, Eruka dug her toes under and lifted it out of the water.

It was a human arm, tangled in weeds and coated in the bog soil.

A very _hairy_ human arm.

"...Hello," Eruka murmured warily.

Dead hunters tended to show up on her swamp quite often, having been caught up in one of her traps-which is to say, the _exploded_ remnants showed up quite often. Still, for one to get so deep into her territory was unusual.

The hand grabbed her ankle and _pulled_.

Eruka let out a horrified screech, kicking out with her foot. When the hand refused to let go, she twisted onto her belly in the mud and tried to claw herself back up the bank without much success, stopped short by the iron grip.

Eruka turned in horror as a body emerged gasping from the water, the head jerking around wildly, spraying droplets of muddy water. The intruder sputtered, wiping his face. Then, through the inky mess, two distinct, glowing eyes - one red, one amber - peered at her.

She froze, momentarily struck by the strange beauty of that gaze, shining bright against the darkness. The man breathed heavily in the echoing stillness between them, water mixed with blood dripping down his face and falling from his scruffy chin. His breath escaped his mouth in visible puffs, encircling his head briefly before disappearing into the night with each heaving exhale.

He swallowed thickly, grating out in a hoarse voice, "I need your-"

Eruka screamed and slammed her heel squarely against his nose.

The man let her go with a tortured groan, hands reaching up to cover his face. When she attempted to hit him a second time, he grabbed her ankle again.

Gritting her teeth through her fear, Eruka spat, "You're trespassing, _wolf!"_

Even had it not been for the glow of his eyes, she would've known his species from the sharpness of his teeth, the point of his ears, and the sheer giant mass of him. It explained why he hadn't set off any of her earlier traps, all of which were solely designed to capture humans.

Taking an aggravated breath, as though he was quickly losing patience with her, the werewolf once again began to speak. "Witch, I need your ai-"

Eruka covered her ears. "Shut up. _Shut up!_ "

Growling low in his throat, the wolf crawled up the bank. He climbed over Eruka's legs, a look of determination in his eyes as he reached up and tore one of Eruka's hands from her ear. She looked down at him with real fear as he snapped, "Heal me, ple—"

Her hands slammed against his mouth, but her shoulders had sunk, defeated. " _Don't_ say it! I'll help you just… don't speak anymore."

"Thank you…" he sighed, his whole body visibly relaxing when her hands fell away. He was struggling to stay upright, his eyes beginning to droop. The blood that poured down half his face had yet to slow. "I won't take much of your time."

"Oh, shut it," Eruka snapped, then let out an "Oof!" when the wolf finally dropped all his weight on her.

"I'm really sorry 'bout this," he said, words muffled as he talked into her stomach. "I don't think I can move just yet."

"I don't care! Get off me!" Eruka pushed against the weight of his shoulders, growling in frustration.

"Jus' gimme a sec," he grunted.

Eventually, with zero effort on the part of the wolf, Eruka wiggled out from under him and scrambled upright. Sliding in the muck, she snatched up her basket and shot him a look of derision, spitting, " _I'm filthy_."

The werewolf, face down in the mud, only grunted in sympathy.

Hooking her basket around her shoulder, Eruka bent to wash the mud from her neck. It hardly helped. Nor did it change the fact that her dress was ruined. She scowled down at herself. "I'm supposed to be _beautiful_ , dammit!"

"Mmf."

"What did I say about shutting it?" Eruka muttered, but her ire had already deflated and she was left feeling defeated. For a long moment after she rose to her feet, Eruka simply glared at the reflection of the moon in the water, grinding the backs of her teeth together.

"Are you okay?" the wolf asked eventually, having pushed himself up from the mud.

"Just peachy," said Eruka. Her glare shifted its focus to the wolf beside her, then fell once more to her feet. "Come on," she nodded westward, "home is this way."

She reached down and, with surprising strength, helped lift him up from the ground. Once standing on shaky legs, he nodded at her to let him go, which she did gratefully. Then, wiping the mud from her hands onto her dress, she gave the wolf one last wary look before heading towards home. He followed her on trembling legs.

"Thank you for helping me," the wolf spoke from behind her, voice gruff.

Eruka kicked a frog out of her way. It croaked mournfully before splashing in the water a good distance away. "Not like I have much of a choice."

"So it is true then," the werewolf murmured at her side. Eruka blinked at his sudden appearance beside her. She took a pointed step to her left before continuing to stomp forward. "The swamp witch of these woods is cursed to help all who ask."

Eruka looked him up and down, lips pinched. "Lucky for you."

His responding chuckle was dry. "Lucky for me."

Now that she had gotten a good look at him, Eruka could tell that the wolf was pretty beaten up. His limping walk was the least of it, heavy as it was, when compared to the damaged arm cradled to his side and the size of his head wound drenching half his face in blood.

"I'm Free, by the way."

"Huh?" Eruka grunted rudely, distracted.

"My name."

"Oh." Eruka shifted the basket in her hands. "I'm Eruka."

Silence took over as they walked deeper into the swamp, disturbed only by the slither of snakes, the croaking of frogs, and the occasional whistle of wind through hanging branches that made the drying mud all the more unbearable over her skin. Free was surprisingly quiet on his feet, and not even a pained groan passed his lips. In fact, the one who grumbled the most was Eruka, who groaned every now and then to announce her displeasure.

Thankfully for both parties, it wasn't long until they found themselves in the deepest part of the swamp. Eruka lived at the base of an old tree, in a carved-out hollow that was far larger than it seemed, and far drier than it had any right to be given the surrounding swamp. The outside had a simple appearance, with a round, wooden door and small, shuttered windows. Branches from the tree hid it from most eyes, ensuring it was only visible to those who were already well within the swamp's grasp. As an added bonus of being Eruka's private sanctuary, the surrounding area was set to explode at the snap of her fingers.

"Don't touch those," Eruka warned, pointing to a vibrant blue potted plant beside her front door. "They're poisonous."

Without bothering to see whether he followed her orders, Eruka unlatched the thick wooden door and entered her home. With one hand she felt around for the oil lamp that hung from the ceiling and lit it with a derisive sniff.

The room illuminated around them, and Eruka could sense the wolf immediately investigating each nook and cranny-werewolves were a notoriously nosey species. She attempted to pay him no mind, having told herself a long time ago that she didn't care what others thought of her home, but it was difficult.

To her own eyes, it was a fine home, albeit a tad bit cluttered. The inside was pleasantly cool, kept a level temperature by the outside swamp, and for the harsher winters she kept a black wood stove that stoked a well-sized fire. The rest was admittedly a mess-a jumbled slew of scattered knick-knacks and jars filled with various ingredients-snake legs, spider fangs, eyeballs, fairy wings, and salt.

Of the greenery which had accumulated within the space, half of it grew from pots, some of it was dried and hanging, and the rest grew out the hard, soil walls. They all flourished quite happily, though, feeding off Eruka's magic until she chopped them up to make spells or dinner or both. The furniture, on the other hand, was worn with years of use, and riddled with signs of bad patch jobs. Most notable were the two ratty beds, both of which had seen better days, covered in old, grey blankets.

"First of all, you'll have to take a bath," Eruka said, pushing her thoughts to the back of her head. She walked to the cabinet that contained her medical supplies, retrieving linen rolls, a jar of ointment, and a needle and thread.

"A bath?" Free mumbled, pulled from his inspections. Eruka noted that he appeared to be having trouble standing.

"A bath? Warm, soapy water?"

"I'm familiar," Free said, rubbing his face. "Can I just lay down for a bit first? Feelin' a little woozy, if you know what I mean."

She didn't know what he meant, and she didn't really care.

"Not covered in mud and blood, you can't," Eruka said as she moved to lift various jars out of the clawed tub in the corner, stacking them haphazardly among boxes of animal parts. "You need a bath, and I'd wager you needed one long before you got into whatever scuffle got you looking like that."

"Can't argue with that, I suppose." Free watched her bend down and set her palm flat on the bottom of the now empty bathtub. As she slowly lifted her hand, water followed, rising up to meet her fingers. Eruka continued this ritual until the water was halfway up the tub. When she straightened she snapped her fingers, and just as quickly steam began to rise from the water.

Patting her hands together, Eruka looked to Free. "Alright then, in you go."

Without moving, Free frowned down at the bathtub, looking slightly ill. His eyes darted to the door. "Maybe I'll just bathe in the swamp-"

Eruka pointedly crossed her arms. The mud that coated her skin had begun to dry and was crumbling off in chunks that fell in a pile at her feet. She paid it no mind, focused instead on the hypocrite in front of her. "Listen, _wolf._ I don't care what hang-ups you have about my magic. You came to me for help so I'm going to help you. Whether I like it or not. That means bathing in water that won't give you an infection."

Eyes moving from the tub to Eruka and back again, Free at last appeared to make peace with the idea, though his face had grown even whiter in the dim light. "It's not that I'm ungrateful… it's just-"

Eruka waved a hand, cutting him off. "I'm used to it."

Free looked like he wanted to say more but appeared to decide against it. He displayed his cooperation instead by quickly untying his trousers.

"Keep your clothes on," Eruka ordered as she collected a bucket of soap and placed it next to the tub. "I don't want you ripping a scab off if the fabric is stuck to the wound."

Eruka didn't help Free as he stepped shakily into the bathtub, one arm tucked tightly against his side, merely watched silently. When he'd settled into the water with a pained grunt - the water rapidly blooming burnt red clouds around his abdomen - Eruka dragged over a small stool with her foot and sat down behind him. No longer having her in his line of sight, Free tried to jerk around to watch her but Eruka grabbed his head to hold him still.

"What are you-?"

"I'm cleaning your wound. Be grateful," Eruka stated, tangling her fingers through his hair, searching for the wound. Free choked under her hold, muscles jerking under the thin fabric of his tunic.

Eruka paused her ministrations. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Free gasped.

Shaking her head, Eruka continued to gently probe his scalp with her fingers until she found the edges of his head wound. It was a fairly large gash, and would likely appear larger when all the mud and debris was removed.

The wound looked too fresh, barely healed. Confused, Eruka roughly grabbed Free's head and twisted his face sideways, leaning down to meet him halfway. He blinked at her with wide eyes but Eruka ignored him. "You aren't healing."

"Huh?"

She took an impatient breath. "You're cursed, Free. You didn't tell me you were cursed."

Acknowledgement quickly replaced the confusion in his eyes. "I didn't think it mattered."

Eruka could've killed him herself-getting involved with another witch's territory was bad news. " _You thought wrong_."

Werewolves were notoriously hard to kill because they were such fast healers. As soon as you cut off their arm the wound would cauterize and they'd be running around all willy-nilly again. Personally, Eruka thought cursing one was a pretty smart tactic, but she decided not to mention her thoughts out loud.

This turn of events did drastically change the situation, though-for both of them. Eruka refused to focus on it now. She would save that for tonight when she cursed the world under the safety of her covers.

"Did you win at least?" Eruka asked, going back to her chore. She wasn't much for mindless chatter, but if it kept him awake then it was worth it. "The fight, I mean."

Free leaned further into her hands. "I'm here now aren't I?"

Eruka snorted. "True enough."

"...What about you?" Free asked.

"What about me?" Eruka asked, only half paying attention as she reached for the bucket of soap. It was her own creation, infused with lavender that she'd traded another witch for dried frog legs. For a moment she considered the pros and cons of saving the soap versus wasting it on the wolf. In the end she grudgingly decided that the wound-and the rest of him-needed a good scrub and so her soap would have to be sacrificed.

"Did the person who cursed you get away?"

Coils of twisting black snakes flashed in Eruka's mind for an instant, darkening the room and blinding her. The effect was dizzying, and only the tactile warmth of another person kept her in place. With some effort she shook her head, clearing it. As though nothing happened, Eruka said smoothly, "You can hardly expect me to give away my secrets."

"I told you mine, didn't I?"

"Considering your state of bleeding out in my bathtub, your decision-making skills are currently in question," Eruka stated tartly.

"I don't know," said Free, pointedly stretching out in the tub that was far too small for him. "Things don't seem so bad from where I'm sitting." Eruka pulled sharply at his hair, making him jump.

"Or," Eruka began pleasantly, clawing through Free's scalp as though she hadn't just pulled out several strands of his hair, "one could say you've walked straight into the witch's lair."

Eruka was surprised when Free simply shrugged. "I'm not too worried."

"Oh?" Eruka deadpanned.

"I know you're a good person, I can smell it."

" _Smell?_ " Eruka shrilled. " _Good person?"_

Before Eruka could shout any more, Free turned his head to peer at her. "Speaking of smell, how are you going to get clean if I'm in here?"

Shaking her head at the change of topic, Eruka returned to her task of rubbing soap on an old, clean cloth-perhaps harder than necessary. "I have a shower in the back that I'll use while I leave you to soak."

Free winced as she began to lightly rub at his head wound. "You don't want to use the bathtub?"

"No, the tub is mostly for spells."

"...Ah."

Free went thankfully quiet after that, and Eruka paid him little mind as she thoroughly cleaned his wound. Eventually, she felt his head dip forward, growing heavy with sleep, but Eruka simply continued her work. When his hair and the gash on his head were both clean, she dipped the bucket in the bathwater and carefully poured it over his head and shoulders, rinsing the soap off completely.

Eruka patted his shoulder, jerking him awake. She leaned around him so she could make eye contact. "I'm going to go shower and do my rounds around the swamp. I'll be back in half an hour. Let your wounds soak until the cloth separates from the scab then scrub them with the soap, okay?"

Free just nodded tiredly.

"Don't fall asleep, and don't die. Got it?"

He laughed, a weak smile on his face. "Got it."

Eruka patted his shoulder a second time before getting up from her stool and padding barefoot across the room. As she reached the front door she bent down to retrieve her basket, hooking it on her elbow before unlatching the front door and exiting into the night.

As she shut the door behind her, Eruka took a deep breath and slumped against it. Once again she was trapped by the cruel oath that was forced upon her.

To _help_ people.

 _Ugh_.

Although, Eruka thought reluctantly as she pushed herself off the door, Free certainly wasn't the worst patient she'd ever had. In fact, he was probably one of the more decent people she'd ever met. She hiked over the roots of her home towards the showers in the rear, her mind filled with memories of past patients, all foul-smelling, narcissistic, sexist, and cruel. And despite her help, none of them had been fond of witches.

Eruka frowned as she remembered Free's aversion to her magic. Not that she could rightfully blame him, of course. The stigma against her kind was often rightfully deserved.

She herself could attest to that.

…

Half an hour later, Eruka re-entered her home, having scrubbed her skin to a light pink and donned a new dress. On her left arm hung her basket, also wiped clean, filled with vegetables and mushrooms from her garden.

"I hope you're not dead," Eruka called into the house, bumping the door closed with her hip. When she turned to face the tub she found her patient fast asleep, snoring quietly.

Eyes rolling to the ceiling, Eruka set her basket on a small table before walking briskly towards Free. With two fingers she reached for his pointed ear and twisted it violently.

Free jerked to awareness, bellowing loudly in the small room. Dirty water sloshed out the sides of the tub as he pushed himself upright, head swiveling about for the source of his pain. When all he found was Eruka, he blinked up at her dumbly.

"Wha…?" he rasped blearily.

"Following orders isn't your greatest strength, is it, wolf?"

Free blinked the water out of his eyes, reaching up to rub his face with clawed fingers. "What are you talkin' about?"

"I told you not to fall asleep! You have a head wound!"

"Was jus' restin' my eyes," Free muttered, eyelids lowering as he settled back against the rim of the tub. He looked like he was ready to fall back asleep.

Eruka decided it was best for his health if she ignored him for the moment and walked towards her basket of vegetables. She picked them up and moved to her work bench, pulling a sharp knife from her drawer before she began chopping up a carrot. She looked up to glare at the back of his head as she asked, "Have you at least cleaned the wounds like I asked?"

"I did do that," he answered, lifting his shirt to show a nasty wound on his abdomen. "Scrubbed till it went numb." He sounded pleased with himself.

It wasn't precisely what she'd intended, but at least his wounds were clean. "And you could reach them all?" she questioned, somewhat warily. The last thing she wanted was to be cleansing the unsavory bits of a werewolf.

Thankfully, Free nodded a second time. "It was just my belly and head that were the worst."

Eruka nodded, though he couldn't see her. "Good. Take those clothes off now and I'll mend them for you. I haven't much else in your size aside from a pair of pants and a tunic or two. I'll go into town next week to buy you a second set."

Free laughed tiredly. "Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow. Spare clothes won't be necessary."

Eruka froze, knife stilling above diced carrot. "Tomorrow," she repeated. Carefully, she lowered her blade to the table. "Free, tell me what you know about the oath I took."

As if sensing something was amiss, Free pulled himself up from the rim of the tub and turned to face Eruka. His half-lidded eyes were filled with concern. "Just that you have to help anyone who asks."

Eruka raised an eyebrow at him. "And what did you ask?"

"I asked you to help me."

She shook her head, went back to chopping. "You asked me to _heal_ you. And that's what I have to do, whether either of us likes it or not."

Free looked tired. "Can you just say whatever it is you're hinting at?"

Eruka chopped harder. "What I _mean_ is you have to stay with me until you're _completely_ healed."

The colour drained from Free's face. He attempted to pull himself out of the tub but his arm failed him, collapsing inward. When he righted himself in the sloshing water he looked up at Eruka, gasping, "But the curse… my arm-that could take weeks!"

"If the curse slowed your healing down to a mortal rate, it'll be more like months," Eruka stated frankly.

"But can't you magically heal it? You're a witch aren't you?"

"That's not how my magic works."

"Well, what happens if I refuse?"

Eruka's stomach flipped at the possibility. She wanted to lie, to tell him that he would be turned into a toad or something, that horrible things would happen should he run away, but the oath guided her tongue towards honesty. "Bad things. _To me."_

To his credit, this seemed to bother Free greatly. "Like what?"

Excruciating pain until someone else asked her for help. "Bad things," she repeated instead of the truth. It had happened only once before, but the memory still sent shivers down her spine. She was still chopping the carrot, eager to have something else to focus on. "In any case, we won't have to worry about it because it won't happen."

Eruka's curt tone signalled the end of the conversation. It shouldn't matter to her that he sounded so concerned, and it certainly shouldn't matter that he sounded like he meant to stay. Eventually, when he got tired, or when his wounds weren't closing fast enough, he'd want to leave.

And she'd do everything in her power to stop him.

"...I think your carrot is done."

Eruka blinked up at Free in surprise, then down at the the table to the pulverized carrot. "I'm using it for an ointment," Eruka lied, slamming the blade down on the table.

"Uh huh."

Eruka glared at him, rounding around her workbench to the linen closet. She retrieved a large, off-white towel. Throwing it on the ground near the bath, she said, "Get out of the tub, I'll put your bandages on now."

Eruka crossed her arms as she watched Free pull himself out of the water, his clothes skin-tight against his form, though once again she didn't offer to help him as he shakily scaled the porcelain rim. Only when he began struggling to pull off his worn tunic with his one good arm did Eruka reluctantly walk over and help peel him free of his clothing.

As each layer of clothing landed with a wet slap on the ground, more of Free's damaged body was revealed. Though he wasn't lying when he said his abdomen and his head were the worst of it, he had failed to reveal the myriad of scratches and purple, mottled bruises that marred his skin, and Eruka held back a wince at the sight.

Curious despite herself, Eruka ran a finger down a particularly large bruise. Free's muscle jerked, and Eruka quickly pulled her hand away. Feeling a bit foolish, Eruka bent to retrieve the towel to avoid Free's questioning glance.

"Turn around," she said. "I'll dry your back."

Free seemed to have no problem being nude in front of her. He simply stood before her completely unashamed with half-lidded eyes and a slew of battle wounds. Not that he had anything to worry about in the looks department. His body was thickly muscled and broad-tall, too, even for a werewolf.

Mind you, his lack of shame could also be do to the fact that he was nearly dead on his feet.

"Alright then," Eruka said, giving Free's slumped shoulder a pat and fighting the heat in her cheeks. "Go sit on the bed before you fall over. I have neither the desire nor the muscle mass needed to carry you to bed."

Giving her a mock salute, Free dutifully stumbled over to the bed in the corner of the room and collapsed onto it, his shoulders slumping and his eyes tightly shut. Noting the signs of pain, Eruka hastened to retrieve the pile of linens and ointments she'd prepared.

"Alright then, lift your arm," she said, coming over to sit next to him. "Easy does it. There we go." Dumping the supplies in the space between them, Eruka first leaned over to examine the wound across his abdomen. It was actually three wounds-three jagged gashes that ran parallel to one another all along his ribs. In his current mortal state it would badly scar without stitches.

"We'll need to sew this up," Eruka said, thinking aloud.

Free shivered. "I hate needles."

"And there you go again," Eruka said, slipping a piece of thread through the eye of her needle, "telling me all your secrets. Imagine what I could do with that information-you'd agree to give up your first born after I was done with you."

Despite his wounds, Free grinned. "Would you want my first born?" he teased.

Eruka's eyes narrowed. "I'm serious."

Free chuckled. "So am I."

"You're too trusting," Eruka scolded.

"And you're changing the subject," he shot back.

Eruka sent him a furious glare before brandishing the needle in her hand. "I hope this hurts," she told him.

As she bent under his raised arm she told herself she was going to enjoy this part more than usual. She also told herself she didn't care when he flinched as she placed a bracing hand on his ribcage and worked in the needle.

The procedure took time, even had Eruka not favoured clean lines over speed, it was a large wound that required patience to mend. Eruka soon found herself frowning with every flinch the wolf made, but she made sure to keep her pace steady lest she make a mistake.

"There," she said finally, leaning away from him. "All done."

Free released a great puff of air, rigid muscles relaxing. "That wasn't so bad," he said.

Eruka snorted, twisting the lid off a container of ointment. She dipped her fingers in and liberally smeared it across the wound. Next, she unrolled the linen beside her.

"Arm up," she instructed again, ducking under it as he did so. She had to lean in close to wrap the band around the width of his torso, so close that she could feel the heat of his skin against her cheek. Eruka struggled to ignore the sensation, refusing to react with Free so close to her. Thankfully, it didn't take long till she was finished, and she fastened the linen in a knot and backed away, examining her work.

"Alright, lower your arm, I'll look at it next," Eruka said. It was his lower forearm that was broken, the bones set at an awkward angle. Gently, she rotated his arm to get a better look, fingers careful not to cause further injury. For the extent that he'd been using it, he would have to have incredible pain tolerance. She found herself reluctantly impressed.

"Can you fix it?" Free asked, sounding worried.

"No," she answered. "You're going to be horribly scarred forever."

"What!?"

"Kidding! I'm kidding. Of course I can fix it. Look who you're talking to." A snort. "Idiot."

"What are you gonna-" Free cut himself off with a loud yelp as Eruka pulled his arm with all her strength. The bone realigned and Free was left moaning.

"Hm," Eruka hummed, probing fingers once again gentle. "First try-you're lucky. Usually it takes at least three to get the bone aligned just right."

Free just groaned.

"Oh, hush up. Keep it flat while I get a splint."

Eruka walked across the room and dug through her drawer of medical supplies, humming lightly as she searched. It took some rummaging, but eventually she pulled out a smooth, flat piece of wood she usually used as a splint and a long piece of cloth.

She walked back, feeling Free's eyes on her-not unlike a wounded puppy's-and once more sat down beside her patient. Pulling his arm gently into her lap, she placed the split on his forearm and began carefully but firmly wrapping the fracture with the linen from earlier.

Eruka then stood and, taking the long piece of cloth, fashioned a sling around Free's neck.

"There," she said, helping him put his arm in the sling. "Good and mended."

"Now what?" Free asked.

"Now we sleep," said Eruka. "Not that I'll be able to since you absolutely _ruined_ my bedtime tonight."

"Sleep? You said I shouldn't..." But Eruka was already getting into the bed across the room. "Eruka?"

"Sleep on your back. I'll wake you in an hour to check if you're still alive."

And with a snap of her fingers the room faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

It was still dark when Free woke from another nightmare, from another _memory_ , jerking upward with a startled growl that quickly transformed into a distressed whine. With transformed eyes he stared straight ahead without seeing, the snarling thrum still echoing at the base of his throat.

Across the room, Eruka grunted and rolled over.

The sound cut through the final remnants of the nightmare. As if released from a spell, Free's eyes shuttered closed and he breathed out a trembling sigh. It was a struggle to let go of the wolf, a comforting reminder of his own strength, but he forced it back nonetheless. His claws had dug into the sheets, tearing small holes into the soft, worn blankets, and Free guiltily tried to smooth them down.

Unable to help himself, Free found his eyes drawn to the witch across the room.

"...The fuck?" he rasped in the quiet darkness.

All manner of creatures were nestled around Eruka, curled at her feet and at the base of her bosom, sleeping against their mistress as though they belonged there. Some were still slithering, hopping, and crawling through the window to get to her.

He was ripping off his blanket in order to hobble over to save his host but something stopped him at the last moment: the animals seemed almost reverent towards her. So he waited. He watched her snore softly with her audience, smack her lips a couple times in sleepy stupor. In all the time he watched, never once did any of the poisonous, venomous creatures make one threatening move towards her.

Though he was still cautious, Free leaned back down against his bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. It was strangely comforting, knowing another living being existed in his space, untouched by the remnants of his nightmares.

The memory of her standing above him that first night was ethereal, her ghostly pale face shrouded by the waning light of the moon, and he suspected he wouldn't soon forget it. It reminded him of how as a pup he had been warned of the cruelty of witches, warned of their nefarious ways and wicked practices. He'd even experienced first-hand the way the cruelest of magics burnt a slithering, hissing black.

Eruka wasn't capable of such cruelty.

He couldn't put his finger on why or how he knew this, but he did.

It wasn't her appearance. Though she was beautiful, it wasn't in a warm, disarming way. Rather, her beauty was cold and pristine, dangerous in that it warned you to keep your distance. Her wide, black eyes were like blank pits that swallowed him whole and left him feeling unnerved for hours. They were made all the more intimidating by the contrasting pale hair and even paler face. Her movements too were languid in a way that mesmerised a person, at least when she wasn't stomping her feet in anger.

So no, it wasn't her appearance.

Maybe it was her scent that put him at ease-a fragrant, earthy mix that reminded him of the air just before rain. It clung to her hair and the insides of her wrists, and every time she crossed his path he would get blasted by the smell of her. Her scent was also _kind_ in a way, safe. Perhaps because it reminded him of home. But then how could that be?

His home was gone.

Whatever the reason, it was why he'd remained docile the past several days while at the witch's mercy, forced to stay in bed at her orders. If he was being honest with himself, he was somewhat humbled by her insistence. It was as though she cared - in her own, less than polite, way.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Gods above, he was _bored_.

He had far too much time to think, cooped up as he was, far too much time to remember. So when he wasn't pondering Eruka or his own miserable, aching loneliness, he had started counting things. He'd already finished counting the number of roots on the wall, and the number of spiders crawling among them. He'd even gone so far as count the tiny little bottles that littered Eruka's home. As such, the highlight of his day was when she walked through that door, being her creepy self.

He tried to make conversation with the witch during the odd times that she was present, but unless she was forced to change his bandage or check his arm, she would just look at him with a constipated expression and walk away every time he opened his mouth.

Which didn't help his boredom.

The only time he ever really got a chance to talk to Eruka was at meal times when she would be forced to stay in her tiny kitchen and listen to him talk her ear off. She always left afterwards in a hurry, but it was the only thing keeping him sane at this point.

His head lolled to the side as he once again stared at Eruka.

Before he knew it, light had begun to leak through the windows, announcing that morning had come. Several stray rays crept up Eruka's face, passing her lips and nose until finally they reached her eyes. Her face scrunched up in distaste.

"Good morning," he said softly.

Eruka grumbled, rubbing her face. "Nothing good about it."

The husky rumble of her voice had warmth curling in the pit of his stomach, and he found himself swallowing thickly. "I, uh, noticed your friends."

She looked down at the frog perched on one of her boobs, croaking lovingly at her. Eruka reached over to stroke its head. "Yeah, they do this sometimes. It used to bother me, but I guess I've gotten used to it."

"Got room in there for one more?" Free asked, only half-joking. The desire to touch another person was a constant ache in his chest.

Eruka gave him a look of derision before rising from bed. She did so in a single elegant motion, uncaring if she disturbed the frogs and snakes that settled against her skin during the night. From there, she stepped barefoot through the earthen floor of her home, ready to begin a fire for tea.

Free watched her do this silently, content simply with her company. Eventually, his eyes began to grow heavy, and he soon drifted off. His witch was the last thing he saw as he finally surrendered to sleep.

…..

He woke in the afternoon, opening his eyes to a reddish hue coming through the window. Rubbing his eyes, he struggled to sit up in bed.

He was about to fight his way out of his sheets when the door creaked, and a pale head poked through the slivered opening. Beady black eyes darted towards the bed, and Eruka's face contorted into a look of distaste.

"You're awake, I see," she said, fully opening the door.

Uncaring of her displeasure, Free visibly perked up at seeing her. "Hello," he said, smiling.

"What've you got to be so happy about?" Eruka wondered, kicking the door shut behind her. She continued on into the kitchen without waiting for a reply, her customary basket swaying at her elbow, filled with food for their dinner. Setting it down on her workbench, Eruka emptied out the vegetables and began chopping. She absently popped a mushroom into her mouth. "Have you magically healed yourself while I was away?" she asked, her words muffled.

"No such luck," he said, leaning forward to try and see what was in the basket. "Just happy to see you, I guess."

Eruka grunted.

"What have you brought today?"

"Vegetables."

"Again?" Free moaned.

"Oh?" Eruka paused her chopping to stare at him with her black, black eyes. "And what would you prefer?"

" _Meat_. Healing food."

"Meat?" She sounded aghast as she said the word.

"Juicy, fresh meat." Free clenched his good hand. "Hot off the bone."

She shook her head and went back to chopping. "Well tonight you'll have soup. With vegetables cold out of the garden."

"That sounds… less tasty."

Eruka dropped the diced mushrooms into her large pot and picked out a carrot from her basket. "I'm sure to you it does."

"Don't you want to try something different sometimes? Something exciting?"

She didn't even bother looking up as she deadpanned. "I'm not here to excite you, Free."

Free sat back, crossing his arms as much as his splint allowed him to. "You know what your problem is?"

This time she did look up at him, eyes narrowing. " _My_ problem?"

"You need a little more fun in your life."

" _Fun?_ " A scoff followed the word. "And what exactly is your idea of fun?"

He shrugged. "Little drinking, maybe. Conversation _._ "

"Alcohol?" Her face twisted. "I don't drink."

"Then how about dancing?"

Eruka stopped chopping to stare at him incredulously. " _Dancing?_ "

Free simply smiled. "Usually there's music, but I don't mind a little swayin' to silence."

"I'm not dancing with you."

"Don't knock it till you try it."

"The answer is _no_ , Free," she hissed.

"But—"

"Another word and you get no dinner," she snapped.

Free sensed that he'd prodded her enough for one night and sat back to watch her cook and hiss at the contents of the pot.

After fussing around with the stove and various herb bits for an hour or so, Eruka declared the soup ready, filling two ceramic bowls. In a rare indulgence, perhaps to ease the tension after their argument, she even retrieved a small loaf of bread, tearing it in two before stuffing one half into each bowl.

Sticking a small wooden spoon into one bowl, Eruka walked over and placed the soup onto Free's lap.

"Thank you," he said, eager for a hot meal after nothing but cheese and bread for lunch. Even if it was only vegetables, he was grateful to her for feeding him. Especially since it appeared to be the last thing she wanted to do.

Eruka hesitated a moment before offering a soft, "You're welcome."

Free decided that before he left, after he got better, he was going to make her a good old fashioned dinner table.

And maybe catch a few rabbits to go into the soup.

"You're going to help me in the garden," Eruka told Free frankly one afternoon following lunch.

Free blinked up at her, mouth full of cheese and bread. "What?"

"Do you not want to?"

He wiped his face of crumbs with an arm. "No, but… I'm allowed to leave the bed?"

Eruka gave him an odd look. "Of course." She took his plate and walked to the kitchen table, calling over her shoulder, "It's not like you're chained to it. Besides, the fresh air and exercise will do you good."

Deciding it was best to follow Eruka's orders lest she change her mind, Free shoved off his covers and twisted his legs to the side of the bed. Even this small movement was difficult, and every wound ached and stung as he shifted upright, but it felt good to finally get to stretch his stiff muscles.

"How long did you say healing would take, again?" Free asked faintly, already feeling weak. The vulnerability that resulted from his wounds was maddening.

"For your arm? Possibly months," Eruka said, returning to his side with her basket.

"Well," said Free with a cheerfulness that felt forced. "Better to get moving sooner rather than later, I guess." With a bracing breath and one final push with his good arm, he rose to stand.

"Stings?" Eruka asked. She gave him a studying look before walking to the door.

"Just a bit," Free grunted, hobbling after her.

"Don't worry," she said, holding the door open for him. He had to bend his head to keep from knocking it as he stepped through. "Today you'll just be holding my basket while I collect vegetables. No heavy lifting for you until that arm gets better."

It wasn't a long walk to the garden, which Free was grateful for, but they did have to make their way over various roots and stones. By the time they arrived, he had developed an acute headache, not helped in the slightest by his wounded leg.

"It's just over here," Eruka said, either ignorant or uncaring of his troubles.

"No problem," he wheezed.

Eruka snorted at that, unlatching a small gate as she waited for Free to hobble up beside her.

The garden was a hazardous smorgasbord of dangerous-looking plants tangled up around average-looking vegetables. It grew beside her home without any kind of fencing aside from the simple gate, and was clearly full of invasive and poisonous plants that were slowly creeping into the forest. There was no real order to the madness, and weeds grew rampant within the disordered array of herbs and vegetables. Free eyed it warily.

Eruka handed her basket to him without a word and stepped barefoot into the garden, careful not to tread on anything edible. Before getting too far in, she reached down to the bottom of her gown and tied it in a knot around her thighs.

"Say, I had a thought," Free said, breathing heavily, as Eruka bent down to pull out weeds.

"That's unfortunate."

"Are you able to reverse the curse on me?" he asked. "'Cause if I remain mortal, even if I heal, this will just happen to me again."

Eruka sighed, standing upright and rubbing her face. "Normal people don't suffer life-threatening wounds on the regular, Free."

"I'm not exactly normal, _Eruka_."

Eruka gave him a stern look. "Look, altering someone else's magic is a touchy subject. I can't just do it without permission."

"But you _can_ do it?"

"That's not the issue here," Eruka snapped back. She bent down and pulled out a particularly large weed, grunting as she did so. "If I step on another magic user's toes I'll be putting myself at risk."

"Isn't it your job to help me?" asked Free, growing frustrated. "I've spent a week in bed, and I'm not getting any better."

Eruka threw the weed aside and pointed a finger at Free. "Don't use my oath against me, _wolf_. You asked me to heal you, and that's what I'm doing. _No more_."

"You fear nothing but the dead! Everyone involved in that curse is long gone!"

"Obviously not, since you're still cursed!" Eruka spat.

Free jerked. "What?"

"The curse is still on you, you idiot. That means the curs _er_ still lives." Eruka bent over her tomato plant and started pulling tomatoes off in frustration. "Which is information you are _not_ privy to, by the way."

"It can't be, he was buried-the bastard is good and rotten in the ground by now."

Eruka's head rose from her furious pulling. "Him?" she repeated, baffled. "It wasn't a witch that cursed you?"

Free went to run his hand through his hair but then remembered that it was in a splint-further pissing him off. Instead, he settled for an aggravated sigh. "It was-...no, it wasn't a witch. Years ago a werewolf went rogue and started killing clan members. It was my job to hunt him down. He jumped me when I was asleep."

"Did he throw something at you? A powder?" Eruka guessed. At his sharp nod, she worked her jaw, considering. "You know, I may be able to help you after all."

"Really?"

She nodded, stood up, and walked over to Free to dump the tomatoes in the basket. "When you're feeling better we'll go into town for the market. An acquaintance of mine who holds a booth there might have some insight."

"Is it far?" Free asked somewhat warily. He knew how Eruka liked to distance herself from mankind, so the nearest town was likely hours away. Walking such a length was _not_ on his list of priorities.

"I have a cart," assured Eruka.

"You have a horse?"

"A donkey," Eruka said as she walked to another plant. She paused then, head tilted. "At least I think I do. Haven't seen him in awhile. I've been meaning to build him a barn, but for now he just wanders about the swamp."

"And he hasn't left?"

"Not for the last twenty years." Eruka plucked a pepper free, than another.

"You raised him?" Free guessed.

"Traded for him as a baby with a two-week supply of genital-enhancing potions," Eruka said over her shoulder.

"Genital enhancing...? So they…?" Free motioned to his lower half.

Eruka shot Free an amused glance, wiping one hand on her dress. "Mhm."

"Did they work?" Free asked, unable to help himself.

Her smile widened, wicked in a way that sent playful tingles down his toes. "Oh, yes," she assured. "Perhaps too well."

Free laughed. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Eruka returned the sentiment with a wide smile, obviously pleased he'd said so. Free decided he liked her smile, wide and toothy and just a touch evil. When she noticed they were having a moment she coughed, frowning quickly before turning back to her vegetables.

Free smiled, unable to help himself.

Dreams were funny things.

Sometimes they were filled with sunshine and the smiling faces of those he loved, and other times snakes covered his vision until all he saw was black, the screaming of his clansmen echoing in his ears like sizzling fat in a fire.

This dream, he could tell, was the bad kind.

He screamed with them—he always did—as though they could hear his calls from beyond the grave and know he mourned with them. His body shook with grief as he cried, sobbing out into the abyss that took his family from him every night. Sometimes he longed to follow them.

But the snakes coiled tighter, restraining, suffocating till soon he was struggling to breathe. He clawed at them, roared with all he could, but they kept pushing him deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Hands, precious tiny hands, grabbed at his arms and pulled him under the black water.

Free woke abruptly to the slamming of a door and the subsequent sound of sneezing. Coming to awareness in a wheezing panic, Free's head jerked around, his chest heaving as he struggled to figure out where he was.

Which is why one can forgive him the confusion when Eruka hissed like a spitting cat from across the room, "You've _infected_ me!"

"Wha…?" was his intelligent response.

Eruka sneezed again, which was closely followed by an angry screech. "I'm sick!" she wailed. "You beast, you unmitigated _swine_!"

Finally registering what was happening, Free grunted and wiped his eyes, smearing the tears that had run down his cheeks. "What makes you think it's my fault?" he asked, voice thick with sleep.

It was clearly the wrong thing to say as Eruka whirled on him, showing off a red nose and puffy eyes. She pointed her finger at him, "I never get sick, and you- _you_ are the only new variable!"

"Can't you heal yourself?" he asked, watching her turn away and stumble across the room holding her forehead. She ran into a shelf and hit the side of the bathtub with her hip, moaning in agony.

"There's no cure for the common cold, idiot!" she snapped.

"Alright," Free grunted, pulling his blanket off his legs. His body ached as he pushed himself up, the pain pulsing sharply down his leg. "I know what you need."

He ignored the caustic look Eruka sent his way. As a teenager it had been his job to take care of the sick and cranky children of his pack, and what they had needed more than anything had been lots and lots of attention. The memory of their fat, dripping faces made his heart pang in yearning, but he pushed the image to the back of his mind.

Eruka looked about ready to rip his throat out when she noticed him approach her with his steady limp, hands raised in a placating manner.

"What are you doing?" Eruka asked, sniffing angrily, backing away with every step that he moved closer.

"Shhh," he hushed, moving slowly as though she were a wild animal, herding her towards her bed. "'To heal a cold all you need is a hug and some rest'," he recited from memory, opening up his arms-even the broken one.

"What?"

"C'mon, don't be shy."

Eruka eyed him warily, brows furrowed. "You want me to hug you?"

"A little love'll keep the sick at bay."

More than that, she looked like she needed a hug. He'd thought so from the first time he'd seen her. As a fairly tactile individual, he was ready from the first day to just pick the witch up and swing her around in his arms. For anyone at home he would've done just that, but being a large man inside a much smaller person's home, he waited for her to come to him.

She stared at him like he was crazy, eyeing him up and down. "You can't just _do_ stuff like that."

Free lowered his arms. "It's just a hug."

Eruka sputtered, the noise made all the more dramatic by her leaking nose. "Not for me-not for _normal people_."

"Well, maybe it should be."

Glaring, she opened her mouth to respond, but then she closed it, seeming to consider his words. Eventually, she gave a deciding sniff. "Look," she said. "If I hug you, will you shut up about it?"

"Promise."

" _And_ never speak of it again?"

"Not a word."

With one final sneeze that sprayed all over Free's chest, Eruka walked stiffly into his arms and he enveloped her close. Almost immediately she melted against him, her dripping wet face smearing against his shirt. He barely caught her as her legs gave way, his one good arm tightening around her waist.

"This is just 'cause 'm sick," Eruka mumbled.

"Mhm," Free rested his face against her silky hair, inhaling her scent surreptitiously. It had been so long since he'd been able to hold another person that he got lost in the sensation, in the warmth. Gently, he swayed them both back and forth in a lulling motion.

"I knew I'd get you dancing," he whispered, the soft words like a secret between them. Eruka snorted tiredly, but otherwise remained docile in his arms.

It was only when he heard the sounds of Eruka snoring in his hold that he realized how long he held her.

He debated a moment whether or not he wanted to keep on hugging her; it was almost worth the strain it was putting on his leg, but he decided Eruka would probably be more comfortable in bed. With that decided, he leaned back so most of her weight was resting against his chest and balanced her there with his splinted arm. Then, with his free hand, he carefully reached over and pulled down the sheets. Juggling the slumping Eruka in his arms, he gently laid her down onto the mattress. He made sure none of the lines in her gown were rumpled as he neatly tucked her in.

"You're going to need some food," Free said, looking around himself. He spotted her abandoned basket by the door and hobbled towards it. It was filled with the usual herbs, vegetables, and the odd mushroom or two. He scooped it up and carried it to Eruka's stove, determined to have something hot for her when she woke up.

"Why are you helping me?" asked a miserable voice. Free turned to Eruka, who was watching him from her bed, her red-rimmed eyes blinking slowly. "I haven't exactly been the nicest to you."

Free frowned at her. "You should be sleeping."

"Just answer the question," she muttered tiredly.

So, obediently, Free thought about it, as he dumped all the vegetables and herbs and mushrooms into Eruka's pot and poured in some water from the kettle. He was still thinking by the time he had lit the oven and his concoction began to bubble away.

Frankly he couldn't think of a reason _not_ to help her. He told her so.

Eruka scoffed, which turned into a sneeze halfway through. "Because I'm a _witch_ , you idiot. Because I'm only helping you because I _have to_."

Free shrugged as he stirred the soup with some difficulty. "I don't know, I guess I just like you."

Eruka went quiet after that, and when Free looked up, thinking perhaps she had fallen back asleep, it was to find her glaring at him from under her covers. She had pulled them up to her eyeballs, so that her cheeks and nose were covered.

"Don't say things like that," she hissed, though the words came out muffled.

Free smiled. "Go to sleep, Eruka. Dinner will be ready when you wake up."

She gave him one final scathing look before rolling over angrily. "Jus' don't burn my house down."

And so Free found himself looking after Eruka for the better part of the next two days. He would cook her food, tidy the house, listen to her complain about his cooking, and generally make sure she was comfortable. It was nice to be kept busy, to be needed-it reminded him of home. She was also forced to keep him company for hours on end, which he appreciated after years of being alone.

Still, Eruka was one of the more trying patients that he'd ever had.

"I'm gonna die!" she wailed through a clogged nose.

"You're not gonna die," Free said, dumping reheated soup into a bowl. If she didn't get better soon he would have to risk getting vegetables from her hazardous garden himself. He shivered at the thought. He had never been the best at identifying plants and he had a feeling even an expert would be baffled by the mess of plants that Eruka had accumulated.

"Shows what you know," Eruka said around a sniffle, accepting the soup from Free as he placed it carefully in her lap. Then, as though guessing his thoughts, added, "I'll go out and collect food after lunch."

He looked up from his own bowl, startled. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she made a face as she took a sip of soup, "I don't trust you in the garden. This is awful by the way, did you know?"

Free ignored the dig. "Do you need help with your basket?"

She shook her head, eyeing him a moment beneath her lashes before looking back down at her soup. "No, you've helped enough. I can manage… thank you."

"...Did you just thank me?" Free asked, lips twitching into a grin.

" _No_. Shut up. Your soup sucks."

When she left with her basket, slamming the door in his face as he was waving her goodbye, a tiny part of Free deflated somewhat. Not wanting to go back to spending time in the bed, Free wobbled to the centre of the room and looked around at all the dust and grime around the cabin and decided to get to work.

…...

He had been cleaning for a few hours when the door slammed open and a sneezing Eruka stepped through the door.

"Go ahead, ask me."

Free looked up from where he was scrubbing a pan clean with his good hand. Eruka had just stepped into the cabin, a hesitant smile on her face.

"Ask me what I've got in my basket," she said. "Go on."

"What have you got in your basket?"

"I'm glad you asked," Eruka began primly, walking over to the kitchen table. "Since you've been complaining about a lack of meat, oh ungrateful one, I have brought you a fish." Eruka dug into her basket and pulled out a small bass, wiggling it proudly.

"A fish," Free repeated, staring at one of the smallest fishes he'd ever seen. "I was thinking more along the lines of... red meat."

The fish in her hand lowered as Eruka's brow furrowed. "Red meat," she deadpanned.

"You know, like a rabbit, or a deer," Free said, grinning. If he was being honest, he was quite happy with the fish, but he craved conversation so much that he was willing to be difficult.

"A rabbit or a-" Eruka sputtered. She tossed the fish back into her basket. "Why you ungrateful-"

"If you have trouble catching them, I can give you some tips. Rabbits are especially tasty with those mushrooms you like so much."

"I can catch anything I want to. I _don't_ _want_ to catch rabbits."

"Too cuddly for your tender heart?"

Eruka crossed her arms. "How about human, hm? I could blow up a few of them. Would that be _red_ enough for you?"

Free took a deliberate pause as he gave her a considering look. "A little too chewy, don't you think?"

Eruka threw up her hands. "You're unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable!"

As she turned on her heel and began marching for the door, Free panicked. He left the pan and hurried to catch her by the arm. She turned and shot him a scathing glance. "I'm sorry, I was joking! Don't leave, you're sick," he told her hurriedly. "I love it, honestly, please don't leave."

Eruka narrowed her puffy eyes at him, but stopped walking. "You like the fish?"

"Love it. Big fan of seafood."

Eruka's cheeks turned the faintest pink colour as she looked down at her toes, wiggling them beneath her dress. "Well, it's more like swampfood."

"Even better," Free said, distracted by Eruka's blush. He was oddly charmed by the strange display of shyness.

"Well, good," Eruka said abruptly, turning so he could no longer see the flush of her cheeks. She marched back to her tiny little work table and began briskly chopping a mushroom from her basket-an action he was beginning to realize was her usual method of distraction.

Free lips twitched into a small smile at the display.

"And don't even think of helping. You're a terrible cook."

…..

When the fish was done, having been thoroughly poked and prodded, Eruka split the contents of the pan in half, giving Free the fish and giving herself the vegetables. Both plates in hand, she walked over to Free.

"Enjoy," she said, handing him his food.

The fish was too dry, clearly overcooked. Worse still, the flesh tasted muddy, not unlike the swamp it came from. Chewing thoughtfully, Free looked over at Eruka, who was eyeing him under the blunt cut of her bangs.

In that moment not even a rampaging herd of vengeful witches could've stopped Free from proclaiming loudly, "Delicious! Absolutely delicious!"

The faint blush was back on Eruka's cheeks, but she attempted to hide it with an angry expression. "You're too loud," she harrumphed, stabbing a mushroom and sneezing.

"Seconds! I demand seconds!"

"Fish for it yourself, then," Eruka snapped, adding in a mutter, "Ungrateful wolf." But she couldn't conceal the revealing tilt of her lips as she watched him, which simply egged him on further.

The secretly pleased expression on her face was more than worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

Something terrible had happened. Something absurd, uncanny, _unhealthy_.

 _Eruka was feeling_.

It had started off small-a mere twinge behind her breast bone-and it would take several days before she'd realize what it meant, before she'd admit to herself what it was. By that point the feeling had worsened. Where before it had been an uncomfortable ache, it was now a nauseous _cramping_.

Perched on the edge of a moss covered rock, arms wrapped around her belly, Eruka pressed her forehead against her knees and sniffled angrily.

It was humiliating, absolutely mortifying that she should be feeling _guilt_ for acting the way she had towards Free. So what if she'd snapped at him a few times, called him an idiot a few more-it wasn't like she owed him anything. Just because he was the first person to actually be _nice_ to her didn't mean she had to return the favour.

So why did her gut twist violently whenever that pained look appeared on his face?

With an angry snarl, Eruka slammed her bare feet into the mud and stood. Her fingers dug into her hair as she paced the muddy shore, kicking up filth and coating the bottom of her dress.

"I'm being ridiculous," she told herself. "Utterly _mental_."

Her feet stopped in front of her basket. The one filled with fish she'd caught for Free.

Her cheeks flushed as she glared down into the vacant stare of an open-mouthed bass.

What was she doing? Was she actually going to be _nice_ to him? _Again_?

After all, it was his fault that she was _sick_. All dripping and coughing and sneezing even though _she never gets sick_.

"Screw this," she spat, grabbing the handle and taking a step to dump the contents back in the swamp. Before the first fish could fall over the edge, however, Eruka stilled, basket tilted, glaring out at the water.

She sniffed, miserable.

Returning the basket to her side, Eruka turned wordlessly and began the trek home.

It was just fish. It wasn't like it was a declaration of anything.

The front of her house appeared sooner than she'd like, and even the slowed steps she took eventually brought her to the blue front door. She stood there longer than necessary, staring at the wood, making a face at the chipping paint.

Nervous for reasons she'd rather not examine, Eruka breathed out a shaky sigh, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're being a moron," she whispered to herself. "Just open the damn door."

Open the door.

Open the door.

Open the-

Eruka opened her eyes and turned the knob, walking into the small home.

"Free, I got you-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Free screamed, cheeks red as he moved to cover himself with a sheet.

"Oh my gods!" Eruka shrieked, shielding her eyes. The basket dropped to her feet, tipping over and flooding the floor with fish. "WERE YOU JUST-"

" _No!_ " he shouted. "Maybe! Leave me alone!"

"YOU'VE DESECRATED MY _HOME!_ "

There was frantic shuffling from the bed. "I'm sorry! I thought you'd be gone all day! You usually aren't back till supper!"

" _How often have you done this?!_ "

"I dunno, two maybe three times." At her murderous expression, he quickly added, "Please don't freak out! Look, I'm sorry, but this is a perfectly natural male pastime—"

"Don't end your apology with an excuse!" Eruka shrilled back. Her cheeks felt hot under her fingers, and she had trouble finding a safe place to look. "You are sleeping outside tonight!"

"Wha-? But-!"

"Out!" Eruka cried, reaching down for a fish and hurling it at him. It struck him across the face, making him yelp as silver scales and a loose eyeball splattered against him. She threw another one, which he deftly ducked under.

"See, this is you freaking out! We said you wouldn't do this—Oof! Damn, you got a throw on you," he muttered. Holding a hand to his reddened nose, Free looked down at the silver fish that dropped into his lap. Picking it up with one hand, a hesitant smile formed on his face. "Wait, you got me fish?"

"OUT!"

At her caustic tone, Free jerked upright, grabbing the sheet as he went. "Can I-my pants-?"

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, FREE!"

"Okay! Okay!"

Only when Free had stumbled across the room naked-having ditched the sheet when it caught the bed frame and instead clutching a wide eyed fish to his genitals as he fled out the door-did Eruka finally take a steadying breath.

Rubbing a hand across her face in a world-weary way, she glared at the tangle of sheets heaped on Free's bed.

Those would need to be cleaned.

Or burned.

….

Hours later, Eruka busied herself with making dinner. It was her regular stew, made with a mixture of vegetables and spices. The aroma was a familiar, comforting scent and it helped put her mind at ease after a rather hectic day. For Free, she had set a small frying pan on the stove and was currently cooking up a small bass.

It wasn't that she'd forgiven him for his...transgressions, but she was still stubbornly determined to be nicer to him. If that meant that she had to deal with the stench of fish to get rid of the twisting guilt that roiled in her belly- then, in her mind, it was a small price to pay.

When the fish had sizzled to a burnt black, Eruka transferred it to the table, chopped it up a few times, then dropped the chunks into a bowl with two large scoops of thick, brownish stew.

And glared at it.

The idea of dealing with Free again was not appealing. For the most part she had kept herself busy: boiling sheets, scrubbing the surrounding area, disinfecting the bed frame. While it had been hard work, it kept her mind off the fact that _he had masturbated in her home_.

Which was violating and humiliating and _gods_ he had done it more than once. Pressing a hand to her hot face, Eruka willed the image of a naked Free from her mind because, _really_ , that was that last thing she needed right now.

She heard an obnoxious sneeze from beyond the door, followed by a miserable sniffle.

Eruka sighed. Sooner or later, she knew she was going to have to deal with him. And if she didn't want him to go hungry, then it would have to be sooner.

Breathing out her nose, Eruka grabbed the bowl and made her way towards the door, turned the knob, and walked out into the crisp night air.

Free was sitting against the side of the house, head ducked and looking sufficiently chastised. He was halfway transformed—either to hide his nudity or to keep warm, she wasn't sure—so when he looked up at her it was with golden eyes that glowed in the dim light of the moon.

"Eruka," he said, sounding surprised.

Eruka frowned at him, then when that proved too difficult she stared at her toes. "I still haven't forgiven you." She wanted him to know. Then, not sure what else to say, Eruka reluctantly offered him the steaming bowl of stew. "Anyway, here."

Eyes wide, Free looked from Eruka to the offered food and back again.

"Take it," Eruka snapped.

Jumping slightly at her tone, Free reached over to accept his dinner, careful to avoid scratching her with his nails. "Thank you," he said, pulling the bowl in close to himself. "I, uh, wasn't expecting any food tonight."

"You're still healing," Eruka shrugged, "and it's not like I can let you starve."

He huffed a soft laugh. "Aren't you a charmer?"

"I try."

Free's weak smile faded as he suddenly sobered, and Eruka raised a brow at his serious expression. "I really _am_ sorry, you know. When you walked in I was a bit surprised, so my...uh, conduct wasn't the best, but I know what I did was wrong... For what it's worth, I won't do it again."

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place," she deadpanned.

When he just frowned down at his dinner in response, she felt a familiar squirming guilt rise in her gut. Groaning silently to herself, Eruka bent down to kneel beside the werewolf, waiting until he noticed her before she spoke.

"Look," she began, tone serious. "I'm not mad anymore. Not really. I still haven't forgiven you," she hurried to say at his hopeful expression. "...but I'm not mad."

"So…"

"So I accept your apology - but you're still sleeping outside."

Free huffed, his shoulders bouncing with the sound. "I guess that's fair."

Eruka grunted as she rose to her feet, patting the dirt off her knees. "You'll be fine. Now finish your soup before it gets cold."

"Yes, ma'am."

…...

"Free, time to wake-" Eruka's words halted as she spotted Free, almost dropping his breakfast at the sight before her.

He was still transformed-so thankfully all the vital bits were covered-and he looked about as terrifying as any fully changed werewolf should. But in the soft morning light he was also strangely...adorable? His head was propped against the house at an awkward angle as slobber drooled out his open mouth, nose twitching as he snored softly. The fish he'd used to shield himself the night before was cuddled in his arms, and in the short time that Eruka stood there his leg had kicked out several times like a dreaming dog.

Shaking her head-because _really_ , she was an adult witch and shouldn't be struck dumb by a _werewolf_ of all things-Eruka reached out and nudged a furry thigh with her big toe.

"Hey, Free. _Free_."

Free grumbled in his sleep, but managed to blearily open his eyes. "Eruka? What time 's it?"

"Morning. Now get up, we're going to the market today."

"The market? But you said…" Free was interrupted as his mouth opened up wide in a sharp-toothed yawn.

Eruka didn't wait for him to finish. "I said that we'd go when you were feeling better, and after the events of yesterday you're _clearly_ feeling better."

Free had the good sense to look bashful. Eruka just rolled her eyes and handed him a plate of cheese and bread. "Here's breakfast. When you're done, go inside and put on some pants, already."

"Where are you going?" Free asked, taking the food from her hands.

"I have to go hook up the cart and find my donkey. When you're ready, come find me."

Having already stuffed his face full of food, Free muffled a response that Eruka took as agreement. Without waiting for him to sputter out anything further, Eruka took off into the swamp.

She kept her cart tucked away under a willow tree by the pathway towards civilization, having cast a glamour on it so that anyone who managed to bypass her bombs would only see an odd, cart-shaped bush. Flicking off the glamour with a snap of her fingers, Eruka approached the cart and pulled off the thick, waxed blanket that covered the back. In the rear of the cart, Eruka had been collecting various creams and bottled concoctions she'd made since her last visit to the market. Half of them would likely do what they were supposed to, while the other half were simply the oddest mixture of ingredients she could come up with to hand off to people she didn't like. Which was, admittedly, most people.

Regardless, it paid the bills.

She'd wait and make Free pull the cart out of the grooves the wheels had settled into, since to do it herself would take more magic than she was willing to use. Until then, she got the harness out of the back and untangled the leather, pulling out vines that had grown around it since it had last been used. Grabbing the halter, Eruka then went off in search of her donkey.

Jackson generally stayed close to Eruka, preferring not to leave the perimeter of the swamp, so it didn't take too long before Eruka found his furry butt sticking out of the garden as he nosed up her carrots.

"Jackson!"

A large, swollen head rose out of the dirt and huffed at her in greeting. Eruka had been told in the past that he looked a bit like a toad, what with the size of his nostrils and the green that usually stained his coat. A vet had once offered to look him over free of charge but Eruka had just waved him off. Jackson had been odd-looking since the day she'd received him.

"He's...big."

Eruka turned to find Free standing behind her, fully clothed and back to looking human-ish. He was eyeing Jackson like he wanted to say something else, but was purposely refraining. She finished buckling the halter around Jackson's head and pulled at it until he slowly jerked forward into a walk.

Releasing the leather strap, Eruka patted dirt off her palms and began walking to the cart, sure in the knowledge that both Free and Jackson would follow behind her.

"He's a draft mule, they're supposed to be this big," she said, turning to the left just as Free came up beside her. "I need you to help me with the cart."

Once Free had pulled the cart onto the dirt path with his one good arm, Eruka secured Jackson in his harness. Patting his coat smooth, Eruka turned back to Free. "Can you lead him onto the road? I just need to get one last thing."

"What is it?" Free asked, already reaching out for Jackson's halter.

"Gold-we'll need a few more supplies while we're out."

"Meat?" Free asked hopefully. "Because if you feed me any more vegetables I won't be responsible for my actions."

"Just go do what you're told, oh ungrateful one."

…...

Another hour had passed before they'd finally managed to leave the swamp, stalled either by Eruka forgetting a potion or Free having to go to the bathroom-or having to reload the cart after a bee stung Jackson and he took off running towards the garden. Eventually, however, the gently rocking wagon pulled them away from Eruka's home.

"Is it far?" Free asked as they left the swamp's border and entered into the ancient forest that surrounded it. They were sitting fairly close together, shoulders brushing as Free's giant mass forced Eruka to the far side of the seat.

"Eight hours," she answered, adjusting the blanket over her lap.

Free whistled. "You sure like your space, huh?"

Eruka shrugged. "Humans still make their way up here. But when they do..." Her free hand closed and expanded in a mock explosion. " _Boom_."

Free nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and they fell into silence.

A long silence.

After the second hour Eruka felt Free begin to fidget beside her. She also noticed him looking over at her from her peripheral every now and then, his glances growing more and more frequent. Just as she was about to yell at him to spit it out already, he turned to her fully.

"So…" he said, and Eruka had to stop the violent urge to roll her eyes at him.

"Yes, Free?" she asked instead.

"You got pretty mad earlier when you saw me...you know-which I get!" the last part he said in a hurry as Eruka's scathing gaze shot his way. "But I was just wondering…"

" _What_."

"Do you ever…" Free looked anywhere but at Eruka as he shifted in his seat. "You know."

She stared at him incredulously. "Are you seriously asking me if I _masturbate?_ "

Free leaned away as far as the small bench would allow "...No?"

Eruka threw up her hands and tossed aside the reins, ignoring Free as he dove for them in her stead. She began climbing into the back of the wagon, grumbling as she went.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Free called, eyes half on the road and half on Eruka. "That's dangerous!"

Eruka ignored him, rummaging through the contents of the cart. "Every time I think you have a _hint_ of decency, you go and talk about something absolutely _personal_ and _intimate_ and _none of your business!_ "

"...Is that a yes?"

With a screech, Eruka threw a jar at Free's head. It exploded in a puff of pink smoke that had him immediately sneezing violently. "It's a 'mind your own business', _pervert!_ "

" _Choo!_ Whad did you jus'- _choo!_ Throw ad me?"

"I call it the sneezer-it's a new potion that gets _worse_ the more you throw," Eruka said, grabbing another bottle as she spoke.

"That name _sucks_ ," Free said, nose red as he squinted at her through watering eyes. He sneezed again.

"You want another one?!"

"No, I-" Free looked up then, head jerking around. When he turned back to her, his eyes were wide and serious. "Eruka, take the reins."

"What?! Are you asking me to do something when you _know_ I can't refuse?!" Already she felt the compulsion to follow his orders and it made her _furious._ "You are _such_ an asshole!"

"Eruka, this isn't the time to argue! _Hurry!_ "

"What are-" Before Eruka could say anything more, a large body slammed into her from the side. Claws tore into the soft flesh at her belly, jerking her off her feet and into two furry arms as she was pulled off the wagon.

"ERUKA!" she heard Free scream distantly, the latter part of her name becoming a vicious snarl.

The sound of a new threat made her captor drop her onto the forest floor, causing her to gasp in pain at the _thud_ her body made when she met the ground. Her hands flew to her abdomen, feeling a hot, sticky wetness through the fabric, and when she drew them away they came coated in red. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she pressed her hands back to the wound, tears burning her eyes as she tried to take comfort in the heady scent of earth on her nostrils- nowhere near as calming as it usually was now that it was soaking up her blood.

"Free," she choked, stricken with sudden worry. Turning to look for him, she found two werewolves wrestling with each other, blood already coating their fur.

Though he was bigger, Eruka knew that Free would be at a clear disadvantage with all his injuries. The fear of what would happen to them both after he was defeated had her forcing herself to move, pushing herself to her knees and grabbing the bottle that had fallen to the ground beside her.

When she looked up, however, it was to see Free pounding the werewolf's face in with his uninjured hand. He was screaming obscenities with each punch, and the other wolf was gradually becoming unrecognizable.

"Free!" she called, stumbling closer. "Free, he's dead!"

Free stopped before his fist could make further contact, and when he turned to look at Eruka his eyes had gone completely black.

Eruka froze, a whisper of unease coursing through her. "Free?" she whispered, unable to recognize any awareness in his eyes.

But then he was back, blinking away the darkness so that yellow shone through once more. His body grew smaller, shedding bits of fur as it went until he was human again, though the sticky remnants of blood remained.

"...Eruka?" he mumbled, still blinking up at her dumbly. Then he jerked upright in shock as he spotted the wound staining the front of her dress. "Eruka! Gods, are you alright-?" He looked up, pained. "You're crying."

Suddenly embarrassed, Eruka scrubbed the tears staining her cheeks. "Sorry," she said, not entirely sure why she was apologizing. "I'm fine, it was mostly the shock- Are you okay?"

His hands fluttered around her middle, as though he was unsure how to help, but wanting to do so desperately. Eventually he just let them fall uselessly to his side. "I'm fine," he said finally. "The blood's all his, I….I don't know what came over me."

"Who was he anyway?" Eruka asked. "Did you recognize him?"

Free shook his head. "He doesn't smell familiar...but-" he frowned "-something about his scent rubs me the wrong way. It's too sweet."

Eruka laughed without humour. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but...it's wrong. He didn't smell like a feral wolf."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, usually when a wolf goes mad like this they have a different smell to them." He scratched his head. "Or the absence of one, I guess? I'm not good at explaining it, but it's kinda like they're missing the scent of home."

Eruka looked down at the mangled wolf. She made a face. "And this one smells like home to you?"

" _A_ home, at least."

No longer wanting to look at the asshole who nearly tore her belly open, Eruka lifted her head to find that Jackson and her cart were no longer where they left them. Her wound suddenly felt infinitely worse at the thought of walking.

"What do we do now?" Free asked, also noting their dilemma.

Eruka sighed. "Normally, we would head back to the swamp and wait for Jackson to bring back the wagon..."

"But?"

" _But_ , I don't think I can walk that far with this wound," she admitted. "And I brought most of my first aid supplies with us…" she rubbed her brow, shaking her head "I don't know, maybe we could follow the wheel tracks?"

"Don't need to," Free said, a reassuring smile on his face. "That donkey of yours has a...very distinctive odour. He'll be easy to track, and I'd wager from the smell blowing this away that he's not far off."

…..

It turned out that finding Jackson's trail wasn't difficult, but _following_ it was. The donkey had taken the cart off the path and into the woods, through streams, and up hills with jagged stones and hidden roots.

Ten minutes into the trek, Eruka had felt herself fading and didn't hesitate to fall against Free's back when he'd wordlessly knelt before her. He'd hoisted her up carefully before continuing up the hill. Letting her eyes close, she and rested head against his neck as she tried - unsuccessfully - to focus on anything but the spasming pain.

Now, two hours later, they were approaching a spooked Jackson, who had frozen by a small stream when he spotted them.

"Don't you dare," Free growled when it looked like Jackson was about to bolt a second time. The donkey hesitated, but seemed to somewhat recognize Free after a moment, and dragged his way back to them.

By this point the night sky had darkened significantly, and the place that Jackson had found to rest was as good as any to stop for the night. Free seemed to agree, grumbling something about being tired and needing several hours of sleep.

Despite his muttered complaints, Free was gentle as he lowered Eruka down by the water. She watched through tired eyes as he pulled off Jackson's harness to replace it with his leather halter, as he grabbed a ragged rope from the back of the cart to tie her donkey up to a tree, as he patted him comfortingly on the neck with whispered reassurances.

Eruka closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Free was sitting in front of her with a linen roll and a jar of yeast infection cream poking her gently in the arm.

"I don't know how to...can you…I mean, I don't want to, you know-"

Eruka raised a brow as she sat up and pulled down the top of her dress. Free quickly jerked the other way, a blush flushing his cheeks. Then he paused. Then he looked back.

"Ah," he said blandly. "You're wearing a bra."

"Yep," Eruka said, taking the linen from his hand.

Carefully, she pulled the fabric away from the wound, hissing softly as it tugged at the congealing blood. She assured herself that the cuts probably looked worse than they actually were, especially with all the blood that had drained onto her dress. In reality, each lesion was likely no more than half an inch deep.

"Get me the cream with the blue lid?" Eruka asked.

"Oh, sure."

As Free left to rummage through the cart, Eruka ripped off a piece of linen and leaned over to dip it into the stream beside her. She used the soft fabric to wipe away some of the caked blood that had collected on her torso, leaving behind pink skin and three jagged lashes.

"Here," Free said quietly when he returned, handing Eruka a light blue jar.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he whispered, as if afraid to speak too loudly. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"I got it."

For several moments Free watched her wrap her wound restlessly, fidgeting with the grass he'd torn from the ground until it was wrapped around his fingers in tight, green knots. Eventually, he sighed and sat back in the grass with a great huff.

"I get nightmares sometimes," he confessed.

Eruka paused to look down at him, only to find him staring up at the moon. The light was dim, but she could just make out the shape of his nose and the hills of his cheeks. His eyes, however, were clearly visible, glowing a brilliant amber in the darkness.

"I know," Eruka said.

The outline of his cheeks jerked with the evidence of a smile. "Yeah, I sorta figured you might."

"What are they about?"

He shrugged. "They're mostly memories. About my clan."

"You said they were killed by a rogue werewolf," Eruka recalled. "One of the clan members?"

Free nodded. "We're not really supposed to talk about it with outsiders, but sometimes wolves will go feral—like the common sense in their brain switches off, for some reason, and never turns back on. There wasn't any warning, nothing that indicated he was turning-he didn't smell feral."

Eruka frowned. "But you said the wolf who attacked us earlier didn't smell feral either, just 'sweet'."

Free shifted where he lay, looking uncomfortable. "That's right."

Interest sparked despite herself, Eruka fought to keep the eagerness out of her voice. "Then maybe it's a new strain of feral wolf? Did the the one that attacked your family smell sweet?"

Free shot her a blank, unamused look. "I don't remember."

Eruka flushed. "Right. Of course."

No doubt his mind had been on other things at the time. Beyond that, he obviously wouldn't be inclined to talk about the scientific possibility of another type of feral wolf considering his past - and, no matter how beneficial to the witch community such knowledge would be, Eruka realized she wouldn't force him.

Done with her bandaging, she placed the linen roll to the side and sighed. At the now familiar press of guilt against her chest, she had obviously just messed up.

"Look, Free," she began, then paused, unsure. Free was staring up at the the sky, hurting inside, and Eruka couldn't help but feel like she was somehow failing him. Swallowing thickly, she tried again. "You killed the one who hurt your family. You avenged them."

It was, at best, a shabby attempt at comfort.

Free's eyes moved to Eruka, unnerving and unnatural. "Then why does it feel like I haven't done anything at all?"

She took in his lost gaze with a worry she was still getting used to. "What do you mean?"

"Something isn't right. Not with what went down with my clan and not with what happened after. Eruka, something feels _wrong_ , and-maybe you're right, maybe it's the smell-but I can't—I _can't…_ "

"Shhh," she hushed, feeling herself grow distressed. Following an instinct she didn't know she had, she reached over to place a hand on his arm as his breathing began to hitch. The signs of an oncoming outburst had her throat swelling with panic. "It's okay. We'll figure it out, I promise."

His hand met hers, tangling their fingers together. She squeezed back tightly, unsure of what else she could do.

"Will you go back to your family? After the curse is lifted?"

Free's head lolled back and forth in the grass as his dead eyes stared back at her. "He killed them all—if not initially then later, when they died of their wounds."

"They were all cursed," Eruka realized, eyes widening. "Not just you."

"When I said that I was sent after him, I lied," he said, eyes moving back to stare at the moon. "I came home from a hunting trip to find his hand inside my sister's chest. I only found the powder on his corpse after I'd snapped his neck and when my wounds weren't closing I figured he must have done something."

He sniffed, squeezing his eye shut, and only then did Eruka realize he was crying. "Eruka, I don't have a home anymore." He gasped the words, voice cracking midway through.

Hesitant and unsure, since she had never comforted anyone in her life, Eruka slowly lowered herself beside Free. She shifted as close as possible and settled her head on his shoulder, their clasped hands held between them.

"Is this okay?" Eruka asked in a whisper. When he didn't immediately reply, she went to pull away - but Free gripped her hand tighter, tugging her back in close. Eruka settled back in.

"I get nightmares, too," she said, after Free's breathing had evened out.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, voice still thick with emotion.

Eruka nodded against his chest. "About the witch that cursed me. She did it after I said some disparaging remarks about her as a witch—I might have even pulled a few harmless pranks."

"Harmless?" Free repeated, tone disbelieving.

"Or not so harmless. Believe it or not, I haven't always been this nice."

Free huffed a quiet laugh and Eruka smiled faintly at the sound.

"Needless to say, she didn't take it well. When she finally found me, she cast a spell that forced me to help everyone who asked for it. She said that for someone like me it was the worst possible curse."

"Is it really all that bad?"

"It depends," Eruka said. "You have to understand- I'm a virtual slave to some stranger. I have to do _everything_ they say."

Free froze beside her, seeming to catch her unspoken implication. "Everything?" he choked.

"Nothing bad has ever happened," Eruka hurried to say. "It's mostly been annoying people...but the fear is always there that the next person to wander my way is the bad kind."

"And that's why you have the nightmares?"

"...No. They-" she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut "-my pranks were _really_ bad, Free. I messed up _decades_ of her work and she was _furious_. The curse would never have been enough for her."

"What did she do?" Free asked quietly, when Eruka had gone silent.

"She experimented on me, _tortured_ me for-months. Years. She kept me locked away from sunlight, from the _earth_... For a long time I wasn't sure she was going to let me go."

"Why did she?" His eye didn't leave her face.

Eruka shrugged. "I think she get bored."

In response, Free clenched her hand tighter, shuffling closer until the spaces between them disappeared. They were both hurting, having dredged up old and new wounds, and the comfort of another person helped to ease the pain. As Eruka's eyes grew heavy, she wondered at the way their bodies tangled together. She had never been someone who felt comfortable with touch-even before the curse.

But here and now, soaking up the heat of another person, she allowed herself to relax and enjoy it.

…

The next morning found Eruka once more in a foul mood.

Her back ached from sleeping on the ground, her wound _hurt_ , she'd had to change into her least favourite dress, Free had _slobbered_ on her, and she was feeling very raw and embarrassed after their venting session the previous night.

So, naturally, she took it out on Free.

"If I _ever_ catch you groping me again, I will burn off your eyebrows. _Permanently_."

Free glared at her from where he was hitching up Jackson to the wagon. He had woken to her screeching, and from the unhappy frown on his face, he was also feeling a touch sensitive that morning. So instead of apologizing like Eruka expected him to, he went on the defensive.

"It wasn't doing it on purpose," he muttered. "And it's not like you didn't cop a feel in the middle of the night, either!"

"Wha-" Eruka sputtered. " _Liar._ "

"Hah! _You wish_. You couldn't keep your hands off me if you tried."

She grabbed Jackson's reins when he handed them to her, fumingly beginning the long trek back to the road. "Well lucky for you, there won't be a second chance!"

"Fine!" Free snapped, following after her.

"Good!"

And so they were silent as they walked back to the road, wordlessly and reluctantly working together to help Jackson and the wagon over difficult areas. It took a long time to reach the road - the pace slow, frustratingly so, to ensure that the wagon didn't tip and that no one sprained an ankle - so when they finally reached it, both breathed a sigh of relief. Free even helped Eruka back into the wagon in a brief moment of truce.

It became easier from then on, though both parties were still a little too ill-tempered with one another. At one point Free asked roughly if Eruka's wound was bothering her, to which she snapped back that it was not. They'd then continued on in aggressive silence.

It took the town coming into sight, hours later, for exhaustion at her own anger to catch up with Eruka, leaving her tired and regretful as she leaned over to rest her head against Free's shoulder in a wordless apology. He touched his cheek to the crown of her head in response, and suddenly all was better between them.

It was busy when they arrived, and Eruka pointed to the open space by the town guild, an area solely reserved for the wagons of out-of-town merchants. Together, they unhitched Jackson and tied him to a post with a bucket of water before Eruka moved to the back of the cart.

"My usual booth isn't too far," she told Free, piling his arms full of goods. She grabbed a tray of jars for herself. "We can come back for the rest later-and by _we_ I mean _you_."

Eruka grinned at the exasperated look shot her way, knowing full well that Free would have offered regardless.

"Where is this person we're supposed to meet, anyway?" he asked when they rounded the corner and entered a street lined with booths and stalls. It was packed full of people, all examining the offered wares, many of whom carried weapons strapped to their backs or at their sides. Free tensed beside her, and Eruka felt his shoulder brush against hers as he moved to walk closer.

"She and her sisters will be at the booth beside us."

"How do we know they'll be there?" he asked, frowning at a passing drunkard.

"They live in town," she explained. "So at least one of the sisters is always at the booth-look, that's them there. Mizune!"

Three women, nestled together behind a wooden stand, all looked over at them in unison. Upon spotting Eruka they smiled identical grins - toothy, and just a touch mischievous.

"Eruka!" said the closest, voice high and chipper.

"We were wondering when you'd show up," said the next.

"Who's your friend?" finished the last.

Eruka dropped her load onto the vacant booth that the Mizunes kept open for her, and Free followed suit. When she turned to him, however, it was to find him all clammed up, shoulders hunched and face stern.

"What is it?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"I don't like it here," he said, eyes darting around at various objects beyond her shoulder. "Too many humans."

Eruka snorted. "Tell me about it." When he didn't reply and simply kept glaring at the people behind her, she rolled her eyes and pushed at his shoulder. "Go get the rest of the stuff-Go! I'll be fine."

When he finally, albeit reluctantly, began to walk back to the cart, Eruka turned to find the collective raised brows of the Mizune sisters.

"What?" she demanded when they continued to stare at her.

"You've met a werewolf," one mused.

"A handsome werewolf," another tittered.

"A _cursed_ werewolf," the last cautioned.

"Yeah, yeah," Eruka muttered, cheeks red. She rounded the stall to slump in the chair behind it. "That's why I'm here today, actually. I need help breaking his curse."

This obviously surprised them. "Your curse states that you don't have to follow a task if it interferes with another witch," the furthest Mizune reminded.

Eruka propped her elbow on the table then rested her face against her hand. She looked out at the people passing by, watching a pretty young woman hum and haw over a set of fake jade earrings. "Yeah, I know."

"And you'll still help him?" the Mizune who had found Free handsome wanted to know.

" _Willingly?_ " asked the first.

"For _free?_ " finished the last.

"Were you guys always this annoying?" Eruka asked, but the quirk of her lips softened the blow. Before they had a chance to reply, she sighed. "Yes. To all of the above, yes."

They watched her in acute fascination, not saying anything, and Eruka felt herself squirming in place. Thankfully, she was saved from further scrutinization as Free returned with the rest of the supplies.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted so I just grabbed everything…why are they staring at me?"

Eruka grabbed the jars, sliding them to the corner of the table that would show them off best. "Just ignore them, it's what they do."

"Are they going to help us?" Free whispered as he slid onto the bench beside her, handing over the rest of the jars piled precariously on his arms.

"I don't know yet," she answered honestly. "They're deliberating right now."

He looked over her shoulder at the sisters, who Eruka knew for a fact were still staring at Free. "But they aren't saying anything."

"Not to you, no."

"Huh?"

Eruka smacked him in the arm. "Look alive, we're trying to make money."

"Wait, you're actually trying to sell this stuff?" Free asked, picking up a jar filled with pickles, figs, and blue bird eggs. Funnily enough, it was one of the few concoctions that actually worked.

"Yes, now put that down and smile."

Though he didn't smile, he at least didn't look like he was ready to jump out at the nearest person who even thought of approaching their stall. When after half an hour that still failed to work, Eruka turned to him sternly and demanded he go buy her a donut.

"What? But we just got here."

Eruka reached into the satchel beside her and handed him a single coin. "You're scaring off all my customers. _Go._ "

Free hesitated. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"Free, I've lived a _very_ long time without you. I think I can handle fifteen more minutes."

He frowned at her, eyes squinted. "...Only if I can get one too."

"Deal."

Eruka watched with half a smile as Free rushed off into the throng of people, no doubt following his nose to the freshest donut stand in town. Unfortunately, she would almost immediately regret sending him away as her first customer arrived.

"HEY, YOU!" yelled an obnoxious voice, and Eruka's head jerked towards a portly man dressed in vibrant colours who had very little hair. "I've been coming back here everyday for a _month_ , where the hell have you been with my order?!"

It took her a moment, but Eruka vaguely recalled promising to create a serum of hair growth for someone. Should would normally have said no, but the way he'd said it had activated her curse and she was forced to agree. Circumstances like these were part of the reason she hated coming into town.

"Ah," she said, noncommittal. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, do you have it?"

She did, and she felt the compulsion in her bones to do as he demanded - but it went against everything in her to comply with this meathead. Resisting would mean instant, crippling pain, however, and she resented that even more.

"Of course," she said instead of the insult on her tongue, plucking a small red vial from the tray of jars beside her. With a strained smile, she held it out. "That'll be ten silver."

His meaty fist grabbed it from her fingers and his squished face glared at her. "For making me wait this long, I should get it for _free_."

That was troublingly close to a demand, and Eruka instantly froze, waiting to see if she would be forced to agree.

"Is there a problem here?"

She found herself choking on a breath of air with sheer relief at the new voice. Free's eyes darted to her for a moment, as though to check if she was alright, before going back to the man holding the vial. Even with sugar coating his beard and one arm in a splint, he still managed to look intimidating.

The man, who had just turned to find Free glaring down at him, jumped in place. His head jerked to Eruka, then back to Free. "I was just purchasing a potion," he said.

"Then are you going to _purchase_ it, or just stand there like an idiot?"

The man's mouth fell open, like he wasn't used to people being rude to him, but he eventually fumbled with his purse until he had ten coins in his hand, dropping them on the table. He muttered something about terrible service as he stormed away, already forgotten.

"Thank you," Eruka said, feeling the tension drain out of her in a rush.

"What for?" Free asked around a mouthful of donut. He held out the second one to her, coated with sugar and wrapped in crinkling brown paper. "Here."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Did you actually give him the potion?" Free asked as he took his place beside her.

"I had to," Eruka said, biting into the soft, sweet dough. "He demanded a hair-growth potion and, as usual, I obey."

"I'm sorry," Free said, and she turned to see him staring down at his half-eaten donut, sensing that he might be apologizing for more than just this most recent incident.

She licked the sugar off her lips, considering him silently. "You know, when I said I made him a hair-growth potion... I didn't say which hair would grow."

Free's head jerked around, horrified delight on his face. Eruka grinned as he whispered, " _Pubic hair?_ "

She nodded, laughing at Free's apparent joy.

After that, things went by more smoothly. Despite Free's intimidating appearance, they got a few more customers-and Eruka was surprised to find that Free was a surprisingly good merchant.

He quickly learned to be nice to people with lots of money, to shoo away those who haggled too harshly, and to only sell scammed goods to those who would be too afraid to get back at them for it.

Eruka was very proud.

Sometime during midday, as Eruka watched Free chat up a rich old lady, she felt a tug on her sleeve. Turning to find the Mizune sisters staring at her, she immediately jerked to attention.

"What have you decided?"

"We will help you," the closest Mizune answered, smiling warmly.

"We need his blood for the spell," said another.

"Just a drop, no more," assured the last, brandishing a sharp, silver knife and white square of paper.

Eruka took both objects and turned around to find Free glaring at her, the old lady walking off behind him.

"No," he said.

"She didn't buy anything?"

"She bought the hemroid cream. Don't change the subject."

Eruka sighed. She knew he wasn't the biggest fan of magic, but at this point he was just being ridiculous. "Free, we need it to break the spell."

"I don't know them _,_ " he hissed to her under his breath. "I don't _trust_ them. They could just be making it worse, for all I know."

"You know me, right? You trust me? _I_ know them." She let out a frustrated breath. "They've been my friends for a long time. They wouldn't betray me."

Free worked his jaw, watching the Mizunes as he thought.

"You're sure they're not lying?"

"Positive."

"And they'll only take enough for the spell? They won't keep any?"

"Only enough for the spell."

Finally, gritting his teeth, Free nodded. "Fine. But I want you to do it."

Eruka twirled the blade in her fingers. "That's why I have the knife."

Carefully, Eruka made a slight incision on his finger, pressing down until a single bead of blood clung to the blade. Eruka wiped the knife on the the square of paper before handing both back to the Mizunes.

Three pink heads each bent over the stained paper. They chanted the same mantra over and over, no other words spoken between them.

"What are they doing?" Free whispered.

"They're examining your aura."

Free was quiet a moment, then, "Okay. Assuming I knew what that was, what does that entail exactly?"

Eruka rolled her eyes. "They'll be able to tell us the particulars of the curse. What it does, how to beat it, and so on. Now _hush_. The need to concentrate."

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the Mizunes raised their heads and turned to Free and Eruka.

"The wolf has indeed been cursed, and a curse can only be broken when the caster has been killed," said the first, holding the bloodied paper in her hands. She handed it to the sister beside her.

"His immortality has been taken from him," said the next Mizune, who then handed the paper to the last sister.

"When one more moon has passed, you will become feral and kill all in your path," finished the last.

The paper in her palm turned black, crumbling to the earth.


	4. Chapter 4

Shock numbed him, and for a long moment all Free could do was stare blankly ahead, the acrid scent of charred paper burning his nose. He felt Eruka freeze beside him, heard her breath hitch sharply, and fought to ignore her. He had to: already he could feel his wolf threatening to take over, and knowing she was scared would only tip him over the edge.

In a month he'd be nothing more than a crazed monster, just like the bastard who'd murdered his family. The cut on his finger bled freely, the strangely sweet scent of it wafting upward. He clenched his fist.

… _Exactly_ like him.

"You don't think…" Eruka began, as though voicing his thoughts aloud.

His voice fell flat when he spoke next, unable to add any emotion to his words as he stared down at his bloodied finger. "The wolf who killed my family was just another cursed werewolf."

"Then the wolf who attacked us was also cursed," Eruka concluded. In the corner of his eye, he noticed her turn to the mousy-looking sisters. "Mizune, do you know of any witch powerful enough to have multiple wolves cursed at the same time?"

"A few," one sister said, in that odd squeaky voice.

"No way to know for sure without magic," said the next.

The last, who had been rifling through a wooden box pulled out a scroll and held it out to Eruka. "Pre-made. Two gold."

"You've always been stingy," Eruka grumbled, though Free heard a note of reluctant admiration in her tone. "One gold."

At these words, Free looked away and, unable to remain where he was as Eruka so flippantly bargained with his revenge, wordlessly left the booth, entering the heavy throng of people. In his anger, he shoved aside all in his path, praying that the muddied scent of so many bodies would take the maddening smell of sweet blood from his nose.

Though he didn't blame Eruka - she probably didn't even know her actions had bothered him - he wasn't equipped right now to deal with her selfishness, no matter how small. Where normally he would've shrugged it aside with an easy smile, her actions had him wanting to tear and rend at the hurt they caused.

Frowning at the uncharacteristic desire, Free quickened his pace, feeling panic take hold.

The witches had said a month, but they hadn't said the process would happen abruptly. For all he knew he could have already started the slow progression towards madness. The thought chilled him. He didn't want to forget, to lose the faces of his family members, to lose everything that made him who he was-and, most importantly, he didn't want to be a _tool_ for someone else's mad blood lust.

Then there was the fact that his family had been killed-not by a friend, but by some hidden enemy who still lived. Agony burned in him as the faces of his family flashed unprompted in his mind, bloodied and swollen with death. Clutching his head as though he could push out the unwanted memories, a tortured growl passed his lips, nearby people clambering to get out of his way. The familiar tingle in his skin started up again, fur threatening to burst free from his pores as he gritted sharpening fangs, fisted together clawed hands.

Free's nails pricked his skin, causing the scent of blood to pierce his senses-metallic and _sweet_. Furiously, he wiped his hand on his pants, heart beating quickly as panic bloomed fast in his chest. The sooner he rid himself of the smell, the better.

He needed to calm down.

Just as the thought ran through his mind-trapped with feelings of anger, revenge, and betrayal-two bodies launched themselves in his path, scuffling together. Surprised, Free looked up as more people joined the fight.

Side-stepping them easily, he raised his head to the building he had unknowingly approached.

Looked like he'd found the town bar.

….

The world had blurred to a pleasant, flickering gold-courtesy of the alcohol and the large fire in the corner of the tavern. Free knew he had issues, significant ones, but the pleasant buzz caused by the drink in his hand made his various problems seem less pressing somehow. He mused on them now as he swirled the amber liquid around in his glass, but they didn't cause the same hurt as they normally did when he thought of them. Absently, somewhere in a part of his brain that wasn't dredged in alcohol, he knew this should concern him. It didn't.

At the very least, he couldn't feel the ache in his chest anymore.

Or his legs, for that matter.

Which was precisely the moment that Eruka decided to show up.

"There you are!" shrilled a high-pitched voice. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

His pleasant gold-tinged world was torn from him, replaced with waves of blue-silver hair as he blearily turned his head towards the noise. Almost immediately a familiar earthy scent filled his nostrils and he let himself inhale deeply, leaning into it. Eruka yelped, pulling away, and Free barely caught himself on the chair next to him. The sudden movement had him groaning as waves of dizziness made his head swim.

But hey, it was better than feeling.

"Are you _drunk?_ " Eruka snapped. " _Now_ of all times?"

Free looked up at her, taking in her incredulous expression. Really now, if he couldn't manage to save his family, how the hell was he going to resist alcohol?

"Have I... have I told you how pretty you are?"

At this, Eruka made a face that wasn't particularly flattering, but Free stood by his words.

"Refill?" asked the blessed voice that had been pouring his drink all night.

Before he could agree, however, Eruka stepped in closer, a hand going to his shoulder. " _Thanks_ ," she said, not sounding thankful in the least, "but I think he's had enough."

"And who the hell are you?" growled the bartender, a sneer twisting his face. "Get outta here, broad."

"What did you just say to her?" Free snarled, pushing up from his seat and looming high above the man. He squinted down at him, struggling to focus when the image of the bartender danced before his eyes.

If he'd just stop _moving_ , Free could smack the bastard.

Beside him, Eruka grabbed onto his clenched fist, hanging on when he refused to budge. "Nope. None of that. We are going to an inn, and _you_ are sobering up, mister."

Because he would always have trouble saying no to her, Free allowed himself to be pulled away, stumbling as he went. He had a bit of trouble turning at first, and knocked over a few chairs on the way out of the tavern-growling at anyone who dared send them a dirty look-but eventually they managed to traverse the length of the bar. Distantly, he heard the bartender yelling something about a tab, but they both ignored him.

"You are in so much trouble," Eruka muttered under her breath. She had ducked under his arm, leading him out into the fresh air as he stumbled along beside her. He liked the feeling of her against him-remembered fondly the night before, when he'd slept with her fully in his arms.

They pushed through the swinging doors and Free's nose filled with the scent of crisp night air.

"When did it get dark?" he wondered aloud, tripping over his feet.

Eruka barely managed to catch him before he sent them both tumbling to the ground. She grunted as she forcefully righted him, blowing her bangs out of her eyes as she did so. "That was _hours_ ago, you idiot. Meanwhile, I had to pack up all my stuff on my own _and_ get a room at the inn-which _I'm_ paying for by the way."

"Thank you," Free mumbled, suddenly feeling tired. He wondered if Eruka would get mad at him for falling asleep in the streets. He didn't need an inn, he just needed a wall to rest against and maybe Eruka to cuddle with. The thought had a wave of exhaustion blanketing over him.

"Do _not_ fall asleep here," Eruka grunted when he swayed. "I will do unspeakable things to your body."

He huffed, blinking awake. "Is that a promise?"

It was a weak attempt at flirtation, and even Eruka seemed to notice that he hadn't really meant what he said. Instead of berating him, like he thought she might, she simply gripped his arm tighter.

"C'mon," she said. "Let's just get you to the inn."

Free didn't remember much after that, just that they had both stumbled through the night together, bypassing other drunks in the street as they made their way to the town inn. Even in his inebriated state, he could tell that Eruka was mad at him. In that same, absent way he felt about his other problems, he was sorry for this fact-but he wasn't coherent enough to know how to fix it, so he simply remained silent until they reached the inn.

After bypassing the front desk and climbing the stairs, Eruka pulled out a silver key from her pocket and unlocked the door to their room. Stepping inside, she waited until Free tripped in behind her before locking it again.

"Sleep it off for now," she said, pocketing the key once more. "In the morning we'll do the spell."

…..

Morning brought the worst hangover of Free's life, and he spent most of it hurling into a bucket, Eruka yammering on behind him. His head pounded with each shrieking word she said, and he clawed at the wooden floorboards instead of ripping off his own ears. If nothing else, his current situation suited his mood just fine. The headache, at least, meant that he didn't have to think.

When he'd first woken up to find the effects of the alcohol faded, he'd been bombarded by the weight of his memories and emotions-as though by trying to muffle them with booze the night before he had simply amplified them. Thankfully, his hangover had started soon after-shoving aside all other emotions to make room for self pity.

"Are you just about done?" Eruka asked caustically behind him, loudly tapping her foot against the floor. Had her voice always been so shrill?

"Screw you," he said, spitting to get rid of the taste in his mouth.

She clearly didn't like that because her voice grew louder and, if possible, more annoying. "If you would _listen to me_ , you'd know that there's a way to find the witch who did this to you and your family, but I need your help, so get your butt over here already!"

"What's the point?" he groused, shoving away the bucket, nearly tipping it over. He turned to rest his back against the wall, head hanging low between his knees. "What's the fucking point of _any_ of it?"

"Are you serious?" Eruka began, voice harsh. "You want to start this _now_?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm not some perfect picture of mental health right now, _Eruka_ ," he spat, feeling the ache eating away at his chest. For once, he took a bitter satisfaction at her flinch at his words, wanting her to hurt as much as he did. "No, really-fucking excuse me, my entire family was _murdered_. I have _nothing_ left."

Eruka propped a hand on her hip. "So...what? You're just going to sit here and get drunk every night until you turn into a monster?"

He scoffed, his head falling back until it hit the wall. "Sounds like a plan," he said piteously.

For a moment, Free thought she might've left, but then he heard her soft footsteps approach him. He refused to lower his head when when she knelt down before him.

"Free," she said. He ignored her.

Hearing her soft growl, he suddenly felt cold hands clap on either side of his face, forcing his head down until their eyes met. He glared at her, and she returned it with equal fervor.

"I'm only going to say this once," she said between gritted teeth. "And I'm only saying it now because you're not usually like this-and if I thought for _one minute_ that you were actually giving up? I would already have left your ass. You get me, Free? I would be _gone_."

The words hurt, he registered with a hint of surprise. At this point he didn't think anything could make him feel worse than he already felt.

"Listen to me," she said, catching his attention once more. She re-positioned her hands on his face so that they cradled his cheeks and moved closer-eyes more intense than he'd ever seen them. They went wide, insistent. " _Revenge is great_."

Free blinked. "What?"

"Revenge is great," she repeated emphatically. "And I want that for you, I want it for your _family_. But more importantly, I want you to not become a raging monster at the end of the month _and I don't know why_."

"Huh…? Eruka-"

Eruka ignored him as she sat back, hands falling into her lap. "I should be happy to have you off my hands, overjoyed even. But am I?"

"Ye-?"

" _No!"_ she snapped, cutting him off. "Instead I'm stuck _worrying_ about you."

"I…"

"Shut up and let me finish, will you?" She grew suddenly somber. "Instead of just going home after you disappeared, I stayed and _looked_ for you. For _hours_ , Free. And _now_ -now I'm helping you _kill_ another witch."

Free watched her shoulders tremble. "Is that...bad?"

"It's sacrilegious!" Eruka shrieked. "It goes against everything I believe in- _and I'm doing it for you!_ Do you get that?!"

He sat back, simply watching her, unsure of what to say. Her eyes were dancing as she stared back at him furiously. He knew that she was hardly ever honest with herself, especially when it came to her own emotions, so her unexpected candour on this subject was...enlightening.

Still, as raw and hurt as he felt, he needed more.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly, eyes roving over her face as he searched for anything that might prove what he had begun to suspect, what he _hoped_ to be true.

Eruka let out a noise of frustration, and Free knew it was hard for her. He _knew._ But he _needed more_.

"You said-" she paused, taking a deep breath. "-you said that you have nothing. And I get it, I _do_. Your family is gone, your home-you're even losing your humanity. But…"

Free watched her, eyes wide. "But?"

Eruka reached out and grabbed his arm, digging into the fabric of his shirt with her nails. She stared at her hand rather than back at him. "But _I'm here_ , you idiot. You're not alone." Her teeth clenched. " _You don't have nothing_."

For the first time that morning, a feeling of lightness filled Free's chest, swelling until it was difficult to breathe. He looked down at her clenched fist, swallowing thickly.

Eruka wasn't done, however, and he found his eyes jerking back to her as she began to speak. "So you better listen to me when I tell you to _stop this pity party_ , grow the _fuck_ up, and come help me with this spell!"

"Okay."

He could tell she was surprised by his sudden agreement, saw it in the way her eyes widened and in the subtle parting of her lips. It took her a moment, but eventually she nodded, clearing her throat.

"Good," she answered, pushing to her feet.

Free watched her leave silently. He still wasn't sure about whatever plan she had in store for his revenge, but she had replaced the endless feelings of despair with something akin to hope.

And so he stood up and followed after his witch.

…..

Free sat cross-legged beside Eruka, silently watching as she examined the flattened scroll between them. A frown marred her lips as she adjusted the place of several bunches of leaves, shook her head, and moved them back where they wereit was. Crossing her arms, she leaned back, tilting her head at the paper, muttering quietly to herself about "useless pre-packaged spells".

An agreement _not_ to talk about the conversation that had just transpired went unspoken between them, cemented by the red-faced glare Eruka had sent him when he'd first sat down. He didn't mind as much as he thought he might - content with the fact that it had happened at all. Progress was progress after all, and if Eruka chose to immediately clam back up in order to feel comfortable again, that was fine with him.

"So how does this spell work?" Free asked, looking now at the intricate circle of squiggles and lines on the page - none of which made sense to him.

"Well, first we need the blood of the cursed individual-so yours," she ignored his frown, picking up several green-ish leaves, "-which we burn with a sage branch while willing the shape of an animal to form."

"An animal?" Free asked.

Eruka nodded, placing the sage so it was in the centre of the circle. "Every witch has a signature in the form of an animal that's unique to them. If we find out the animal, we can find the witch."

"What's yours?"

"A frog," she answered simply.

Free snorted before he could stop himself, and Eruka's head shot up at the sound, glaring. He knew almost immediately that he was digging his own grave by laughing at her, but he couldn't help himself. Frogs and Eruka strangely _fit_.

Eyes flashing, Eruka said through gritted teeth, "Got something to say?"

He fought to keep his lips from twitching. "Nope."

" _Look here asshole_ ," she hissed leaning in close, voice going dangerously quiet. "I'm helping you out of the goodness of my heart _,_ but if you're making fun of me I can quite happily leave."

Free managed to smother the urge to laugh, fought off his smile. "Nope. Frogs are great."

Eruka eyed him, squinting suspiciously, as though making sure he was telling the truth. Finally, she nodded and moved back to sit fully on her side of the paper. "Yes they are. Now give me your hand, I need to cut it again."

 _This_ made Free sober quickly enough, and the thought of smelling the abnormal, sickeningly sweet scent of his own blood had the nausea from that morning returning full swing. Eruka was watching him with her unusually large eyes, her face blank, and he fought to clear his throat.

"There's no other way?" he asked, already knowing there wasn't.

"Hair sometimes works-but the results are never as clear as blood," she answered.

Nodding, Free took the ornate knife from her hand. "I'll do it," he said.

"One drop will be enough," Eruka assured, making final adjustments to the placement of the scroll and the sage before leaning back. "Alright, go ahead. Make sure it lands on the leaves."

Placing the knife in his splinted hand, Free sliced his finger neatly. He tossed the blade aside, ignoring the clatter it caused as he squeezed the injured finger between two others until a single drop of blood landed on the sage. It gradually rolled off the leaves until it reached the paper and seeped in.

"Good." Eruka handed him a cloth. She was watching him carefully. "...You alright?"

Free nodded. "Thanks," he said, covering the wound in hopes that it would help smother the smell.

He looked back up at the bloodied sage just as Eruka snapped her fingers. The leaves burst into flames.

"Don't forget to will the image of an animal to appear," Eruka reminded as she closed her eyes, clasping her hands together. Her thumbs touched one another while the rest of her fingers curled inward in what looked like a contorted mess. Free hoped she didn't get hand cramps.

"Focus Free," Eruka snapped, and Free wondered how she knew what he was doing when her eyes were shut. Rather than ponder this further, however, he forced his own eyes closed and attempted to ignoring the burning smell in his nose.

It was difficult to "will" an animal into his mind without actually thinking of one, and for some reason his mind kept imagining rabbits. Fluffy, bouncy, _tasty_.

He peaked one eye open and saw Eruka frowning, a line between her brows.

Right. Focus.

He squeezed his own eyes closed.

His stomach grumbled.

"You're lucky this spell only technically needs one person," he heard Eruka say.

Free sighed, shoulders slumping. His eyes opened and he saw her smirking to herself. "Then why make me do it?"

"It doesn't _hurt_ ," she said. "Besides, I thought it might be good practice. Now hush, _I_ at least need to focus."

So Free settled in to wait, simply watching Eruka. Every now and then her eyebrows would twitch, or her frown would increase, or sometimes he'd even catch her mouthing a silent chant to herself. It was fascinating to watch, and he didn't even realize the spell had finished until her eyes opened and she looked down at the paper between them.

Her eyes went wide with horror.

Surprised, Free looked down at what appeared to be a black, charred mass slowly forming into a long, slithering line.

"A snake," Eruka breathed, her voice trembling.

It made sense, Free mused, thinking back to all the snakes present in his dreams-inky black and slithering like parasites in his mind.

He looked back up at Eruka. "Do you know who it is?"

She swallowed thickly, still gazing down at the image between them. Her fingers untangled, and one trembling hand rose to cover her mouth. For a moment it looked like she might be sick.

It took several moments, time in which Free wondered if she would respond at all, but eventually she spoke from behind her palm, lifting it slightly so her words wouldn't be muffled. "Her name is Medusa," she said.

"You know her?"

Her eyes closed and she nodded, hand still pressed to her mouth. Tears welled up and fell down her cheek.

"Eruka?" Free asked, alarmed. "Eruka, what's wrong?"

He pulled her hand from her face, but when he questioned her further she shook her head, a heartbreaking sob escaping her lips as her head bent low. Shoving aside the paper they'd done the spell on, Free moved in closer. Unsure of what else to do, he clumsily wiped away her tears with his fingers.

"Eruka, talk to me," he pleaded, cupping her cheek.

Breath hitching, Eruka laughed without humour, shoving aside his hand. "It looks like we have something in common."

Trying not to sigh in frustration, because that was the last thing she needed, Free urged, "What does that mean?"

"Medusa was the one that cursed _me_."

"What?"

Her fists clenched. "She was the one who locked me up, tortured me-all of it. I never-I couldn't-" she took a shaky breath "-I never got back at her. She's so powerful, how could I?"

Free shoved back the fresh wave of anger that flowed through him at this new information, struggling to focus on the present. "Okay, so that just means we have more reason to go after her."

Eruka shook her head. "You don't get it, she'll kill us both. _Gods Free_ , there's no way we can win!"

He grabbed her shoulder with his good hand. "So we figure something out. But we don't give up, remember?"

Her eyes, watery and miserable, raised up to glare at him. Free almost breathed a sigh of relief at the sight-she hadn't given up yet.

"We just need a plan," he tried.

Sniffing stubbornly, Eruka nodded, pushing Free's hand away and wiping her eyes. "You're right. And we both know _you're_ not going to think of one."

Free smiled. "Exactly."

She got to her feet, still looking miserable and sorry for herself, but she was moving, thinking. "This is a really big problem, though. I knew she was bad, but even for her this plan is ambitious."

"Do you know what she's planning?"

Eruka shook her head. "Obviously not-but really, I should have suspected. She's always had a penchant for madness." She stopped pacing, arms folded. "But why bother with werewolves?"

Free tried not to take offence at that. "So do you have a plan?"

She sniffed again. "Neither of us have the power to beat Medusa-and before you get all huffy, let me remind you that you're injured _and_ mortal."

Free, who liked to believe that he had not, in fact, gotten huffy at all, asked, "Where does that leave us?"

"We need help."

"From the Mizunes?"

Eruka shook her head. "It would be asking too much. They're even more loyal to witch kind than I am."

"I don't see who else we can ask, then."

She paused a moment, considering. "In this town... there's a warrior's guild-"

Free's reply was immediate. "You want to ask _humans?_ " he spat, disbelieving. "You hate them more than I do!"

"Well, what other choice do we have?" Eruka snapped back.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe we could _not_ go to the one race that wants to kill every supernatural being on the planet!"

"I have talismans that will hide our presence."

Free sighed. "Okay, say we do get their help. How on earth are a bunch of humans supposed to kill Medusa if _we_ can't?"

Eruka's eyes danced, smirking. "Oh, they won't. They'll be the distraction."

"Wait, so now you want to _sacrifice_ humans?"

She shrugged. "They're mercenaries. It's their job."

Which was true, but Free still frowned at her as she walked over to the pile of goods that they hadn't managed to sell the day before. It wasn't like he was the biggest fan of humans, _but still_. You should at least give a man a warning before you send him to his death. Even a human one.

"So what will we tell them?" he asked, turning to watch as she pulled out two small pouches from the box of goods. Eruka tucked one into her pocket and tossed Free another.

"Here, this will stop anyone from figuring out who we are."

He caught it easily. "You're avoiding the question."

She sighed. "That's because I don't know yet-I'm making this up as I go. I'll figure something out on the way."

Free dutifully got to his feet. "We're leaving now?"

Eruka nodded, frowning. "If we don't go now," she looked up at him with wide eyes, "I'm not sure I'll have the nerve to go later."

Free laughed despite himself, delighted by her frankness.

"What?" she asked, looking harassed.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Go on ahead, I'm right behind you."

…..

The guild, which was fairly close to the inn-just up the street and around the corner-was not at all what Free had expected.

There were, of course, a slew of wanted posters on the bulletin board to the side-most of which featured witches, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. And, as expected, there was a bar and several crowded tables, filled with what looked to be a variety of different personality types. What was odd, however, was that the guild was absolutely _spotless_ -painted a crisp white to show off the strange, neurotic cleanliness. Even the wanted posters were pinned in place in uniform lines.

"Are we in the right place?" Free asked. He had always imagined warrior guilds to be a bit more...filthy.

"I think so," Eruka said, looking around. "There are wanted posters."

Freakishly organized ones, sure. "So what now?" he asked instead of what was on his mind. "Do we just go up to someone?"

Without responding, Eruka drew back her shoulders and walked towards the long, spotless bar at the back of the guild. Free followed behind her at a slower pace, taking his time to further examine his surroundings. While the guild was certainly clean enough, it didn't mean that these people were any less dangerous-and as he moved through the building he could feel their eyes on him, greedy and _human_.

Free reached Eruka just as she was approaching a shady looking man with long, straw-coloured hair and a seriously bad case of flood pants. He sat nursing a glass of amber liquid, several swords balanced against the bar beside him. Sniffing once, Free was surprised to find that he was just drinking apple juice.

"Hello," Eruka said pleasantly. The man ignored her, instead taking a sip of his drink, hissing as though it burned his throat. Free made a face.

It was apple juice. The man was drinking apple juice.

Eruka shot Free a wide-eyed "can you believe this guy?" glance before turning back to the warrior. Her voice was decidedly more strained as she asked, "Would you be interested in hunting a witch for us?"

His drink slammed on the table, juice spilling onto his hands as he turned his head to offer Eruka one single, rotten look, before spitting, " _I don't hunt witches._ " He grabbed his swords and stomped away.

Free watched him leave as Eruka returned to his side.

"Can you believe that guy?" she hissed.

Free wondered at her motivations if she was getting mad at a guy who refused to kill a witch for her. Instead of saying so, he offered, "He was very rude."

Eruka shook her head. "Absolutely unbelievable. C'mon, let's try someone else. They wouldn't have witch wanted posters if everyone was against hunting us."

She was a bit pickier her second time choosing a target, but eventually she decided on a pair sitting alone in the corner. One was a beefy looking young woman with sandy hair tied in pigtails, while the other was a somber looking fellow whose white hair kept falling in his eyes. Even as they approached, the boy swept his fringe aside with a toss of his head-it immediately fell back in place.

Free had a sudden, raging urge to chop it off.

"Hello," Eruka began, much the same way as before-overly polite and with a smile the was just a touch forced.

The girl raised her head, smiling in response. The boy watched without changing his expression, eyes suspicious. "Hi! How can we help you?" asked the girl.

"We need you to kill a witch."

The girl's face immediately screwed up in distaste. "A witch, huh? Nasty sort."

"Mhm," Eruka said, noncommittal. Free wondered, not for the first time, whether or not her acting skills were going to get them killed.

Meanwhile, the white-haired boy was eyeing them up and down, taking longer as he examined Free-pausing a moment on each of his injuries. After sweeping aside his bangs with another head jerk, he asked, "How much are you willing to spend?"

The girl immediately smacked him upside the head, hissing, "Soul! Don't be rude."

"It's _literally_ our job, Maka," the boy, Soul, shot back, wincing. Free didn't blame him-this Maka person was jacked.

Ignoring the scuffle before her, Eruka dumped a bag on the table. "Two-hundred gold," she said.

It was the worn sack of gold that she had carried with her from home. Free's eyes widened at the sight, knowing for a fact that it was all the money she had in the world.

He jerked his head towards her. "Eruk-"

"Shut up," she hissed under her breath.

If the guild members were surprised by the amount of money, they don't show it, though Free noted that the boy pulled it closer to himself possessively.

"Who's the witch?" he asked.

Free froze, because this was the part that Eruka had said might cause them trouble. According to her, the snake witch was well known.

"Medusa," Eruka said simply, as though it was any other name.

A hush fell over the guild, and Free looked around to see all eyes staring at them, frozen. Instinctively, he grabbed Eruka's arm.

"Medusa?" Maka repeated, standing up from her chair. "You want us to go after _Medusa?_ "

"What business do you have with her?" asked Soul.

"Does it matter?" Free answered, trying to keep the growl from his voice. He knew he sounded defensive, but he couldn't help it-he didn't like being closed in amongst people he knew would gladly kill him and Eruka given the chance.

"Medusa is bad news," Soul answered. "She's killed hundreds-cursed _thousands_ more. Do you know how many of us have died trying to kill her? You think _gold_ will make us risk our lives for a fruitless quest? No one even knows where she lives."

"We do," Eruka hurried to say.

"What?"

"We know where she lives-she attacked us there. We can show you."

Soul's face darkened. "You're lying."

Eruka frowned beside him, and Free tensed further as the room began to grow rowdy. His head raced with plans of escape, calculating how many bodies he'd have to rend in order for them to escape unscathed.

"I'll help."

Free turned to find the rude swordsmen standing behind them, his face expressionless. Somehow he had approached without Free noticing-which was extremely unnerving. Wordlessly he tugged Eruka closer, ignoring her irritated grunt.

"I'll help you kill Medusa," the man repeated.

Free looked back to Maka and Soul, curious about their reaction. They both stared open mouthed at the man, a mixture of shock and annoyance taking hold of their features. Free noted that Soul's hand gripped the bag of gold tighter.

Recovering first, Maka slammed her hands on the table. "We never said we wouldn't do it!" she snapped. "Don't go sniping our job, Mifune!"

Mifune crossed his arms, his movements languid. "So you're going to go after Medusa?"

"Maybe," Maka hissed, eyes darting to Soul's before shooting back to glare at Mifune. "Maybe not. We haven't decided yet."

A slouchy, tired looking man with round glasses and a white coat rose from his seat and walked over, clearing his throat. "It would be good to have her gone for good," he said, his voice eerily smooth. "Why don't we split the cash and work together?"

Dozens of loud voices erupted all at once, all with a competitive edge, all eager, resounding throughout the guild. Shouts of revenge, of greed, of general bloodthirstiness all collected in unison, reverberating around them.

Free looked down at Eruka, raising a brow at the small, twisted grin on her lips. For the first time he wondered how long and how often _she_ had thought of revenge-every time knowing it was out of reach. He felt his shoulders relax as the voices around them grew louder, all arguing about who would get the chance to join the battle against Medusa.

And that was how Eruka and Free got upwards of thirty humans to follow them to Medusa's lair.


	5. Chapter 5

When they had left the guild that morning-shortly following the development of a plan and the gathering of some perishables from around town-they had been closely followed by a troop of warriors, all intent on Medusa's destruction. They'd hiked through the forests behind Eruka and Free, grumbling good naturedly amongst themselves, all the while unknowingly following the tracking spell of a witch. The irony of it all had Eruka's lip curling upwards despite herself.

Now, tired and worn, the caravan had settled down in a large meadow.

It was a calm night, cool but not cold-quiet save for the hushed whispers that carried on the winds blowing through the meadow. Despite their great number, most of the warriors were silent-whether in trepidation for the next day or simply weary from the long trek, Eruka didn't know.

Rubbing her nose, itchy from the final remnants of her cold, Eruka looked into the crackling fire before her-one of many that littered the large, makeshift camp. She knew without looking that the moon hung high in the sky, bright and foreboding and just out of reach of the dark treetops above them-an ominous reminder of what little time they had left. Beside her, Free was staring up at it, a deep-set frown on his face.

He'd been staring for the last hour.

Finally growing tired of Free needlessly torturing himself, Eruka nudged him hard with her elbow. "Quit it!" she hissed, low enough so that only he would hear.

The blow made him jump, likely more from surprise than pain, and he sent her a bewildered look. Eruka widened her eyes at him, finger pointed at his nose. " _Don't._ "

Free rolled his eyes, but when he next turned his head it was to face the fire, rather than up at the waning moon-a reluctant smile on his lips.

Satisfied, Eruka turned back round as well, only to find Soul and Maka staring back at her, a question in their eyes. Eruka tensed.

"Yes?" she asked, wary.

"Oh! I'm sorry if I was staring," Maka said, all politeness and perfect, white-toothed smiles. "Not much to look at besides you and the fire. My friends tell me I do it all the time."

Eruka forced her own smile. "Of course."

A moment of blessed silence passed between them, then-

"See, I'm just curious. Since you two appeared so suddenly and all, and since we _are_ putting our lives in your hands…I was hoping we could get to know one another a bit better."

She knew. Eruka felt a cold sweat build at the base of her neck. It took everything in her to keep the pleasant smile on her face as she stared back at the other woman, her heart pounding against her ribcage.

"Oh?"

"Mhm." Eruka wanted to rip that perfect smile off her pretty little face. "How did you two say you knew each other?"

"We didn't."

"Right, I should have remembered," Maka said, nodding. "Mind regaling the tale? Maybe mention how you know Medusa while you're at it-I can't believe I didn't think to ask sooner."

Eruka's eyes shot to Soul, who sat hunched over beside his partner-a bit on the thin side, with a cloak draped over his wide shoulders, ever watchful, always intense. She then looked back to Maka, to that pleasant smile and perfect face wrapped in a coat of muscle and armour. She couldn't tell who was worse.

Her mouth opened, not sure what she'd say but needing to say _something_ -

"We're married," Free answered before Eruka had the chance to. He was still looking into the fire as he spoke. "Medusa killed our children."

He looked up, leveled both guild members with a terse look. "Is that what you wanted to know? If you're still curious I can tell you about how they were locked in our home and burned to a crisp. Maybe you're _curious_ about the fact that I held the burnt remains of my little girl in my arms as her blackened body slowly crumbled and blew away in the wind?"

Eruka could only watch in awe as both Maka and Soul physically _flinched_. And before either of them could say anything else, Free pointedly stood, brushing off his backside.

"I think we'd better get to bed," he said, reaching down to help Eruka to her feet. He then grabbed the bedrolls they had borrowed from the guild. "It's been a rough few weeks and we haven't gotten much rest... I hope you understand."

Speechless, Eruka allowed Free to lead her deeper into the woods, though not far enough away that they couldn't see the light of the many campfires that littered the meadow.

"Since when are you so good at lying?" Eruka whispered when they'd stopped, trying to hide her giddiness. She looked over at Soul and Maka, who now had their heads bent together, quietly conversing. "They were completely fooled!"

It was dark, but Eruka could barely make out Free's bashful smile. "I learned from the best."

Laughing quietly, Eruka punched his good arm. "Seriously, you really saved us back there. I swear she was onto us."

"She is, actually," Free answered, sobering somewhat. He dropped the bedrolls on flattish looking earth, kicking them open with his foot. "She knows we're lying in some way, but not about what. I think she believes the children part, though."

"You can hear them from here?" asked Eruka, lowering her voice.

Free nodded. "They're discussing it now. They've decided to keep a close eye on us for now and go on with the plan."

Eruka followed Free to the ground as he set about smoothing out their bedrolls. "But that's good! That's all we need them for."

Free sighed, pausing in his work. "Yeah, but we have bigger problems."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Eruka, we're not exactly the most human at night. You _know_ I can transform when I have nightmares and you have that...weird thing with the animals."

"We'll just take turns sleeping," Eruka offered, grabbing his hand when he began to fidget once more with the bedrolls. "Listen to me! If you start having a nightmare I'll wake you up, and if any unwanted pests come near me you can just growl at them or chuck them away."

Free looked skeptical, but Eruka insisted. "Just trust me, it'll work. I'll even take first watch."

"Won't they notice if you're not sleeping?"

"They'll just think that we don't trust a bunch of strangers to watch our backs. _Which we don't_."

Somewhat mollified, albeit grudgingly so, Free settled down onto a bedroll that was about a foot too short for him-the largest available-and closed his eyes with a quiet huff.

Getting comfortable in her own bedroll, Eruka looked out at the faces of the warriors who had followed them thus far. Many of them were getting ready for sleep, while others continued to huddle in front of the campfires, content for the moment with each other's company.

…..

By the time the final vestiges of night had given way to morning, neither Eruka nor Free had gotten much sleep, and the early light felt like a cruelty. Woken by the mutterings of those around them, Eruka groaned as she rose from her damp bedroll.

Blinking blearily, she looked over at Free, who had apparently fallen asleep during his watch, and kicked at his foot. He grunted mid snore, jerking awake and upright. " _Whazzat?_ "

Eruka rubbed the sleep from his face. "Time to get up. No, don't lay back down- _up!_ ""

Free'd had several nightmares during the night, violently twisting and growling in his sleep. Eruka had only barely managed to wake Free up before he'd gone furry-which no doubt would have attracted the attention of the guildsmen on watch.

And from what Free had tiredly muttered to her after he'd shaken her awake during the night, she hadn't acted terribly human either. More than once, he'd been forced to throw several furry creatures deep into the forest before they could nestle around her.

"At least we know we'll never go hungry with you around," he joked now, tiredly rolling up his bedroll beside her.

"What?"

"You know, with how tiny, fuzzy things are attracted to you."

Eruka wrinkled her nose, arching her back until it cracked. "You know I don't eat meat."

"Yeah, but I can eat all your little friends if I ever need more energy to forage for you. Problem solved."

She scoffed, reaching over to push aside his hand so she could help him with the ties of his bedroll. "You've never foraged a day in your life."

"I could," Free said, and Eruka felt his gaze on her as she tied a knot with the rope. "I would, I mean. For you."

Eruka's entire face immediately went red, the heat centering at the rounds of her cheeks and traveling to the tips of her ears. For a long moment she could only stare down at her hands, willing the flush to go away.

Who said stuff like that? So _easily_?

Even with the extent of her embarrassment, however, she couldn't deny the strange feeling of warm happiness that arose in her chest as a result of the words. Her fingers clenching, Eruka finally looked up at Free, glaring.

" _You better_."

Free's lips twitched, as though holding in a laugh. He looked like he was about to say something, but stopped, turning to the left, suddenly alert.

Curious, Eruka turned to find Soul standing in front of them. He regarded them a moment, taking in Eruka's flushed face and Free's guarded stance. "There's some food for you if you want it," he said.

"Thank you."

He nodded, but didn't leave, instead shifting on his feet. "Look, I just wanted to...apologize for last night. If Maka or I came across as insensitive, it wasn't our intention. She's beating herself up about it so if she says something can you guys try to be understanding? She took the news about your kids pretty hard."

"Our kids?" Free repeated, dumbly.

"Your kids," Soul said, narrowing his eyes. "The ones Medusa murdered."

"Oh, right. Right." Free shot a glance at Eruka. "Betsy and...Franklin?"

Any kind feelings Eruka felt towards Free promptly vanished. Clearly whatever had made him lie so marvelously the night before had vanished come morning.

Soul looked at Eruka, eyebrows raised, and all she could do was offer a pained smile in return.

Thankfully they were saved from any further questioning as Maka called from the distance. "Time to leave! Everyone pack up, we're moving in ten!"

Though he seemed reluctant to leave, Soul dutifully turned and returned to his mistress, though not before giving them one final suspicious glance. Eruka watched him walk away, the back of his messy white hair poking out from above his dark cloak.

"Okay, after that he definitely knows something's up," Eruka muttered once Soul was a far enough distance away. She turned to face Free, hands on her hips. "So what? Suddenly you can't tell a decent lie?"

"It's early," Free muttered in defence. "Besides, it hardly matters now. We're almost there."

Eruka shook her head. "...Which is also a worrying fact."

Free raised his good arm and beckoned Eruka under.

When she just glared at him, he beckoned her again-wiggling his brows as he did so. "Come on," he said. "You know you want to."

Rolling her eyes, Eruka finally ducked under his arm with a suppressed smile, allowing him to envelop her close. He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, leaning in close to kiss the side of her head.

"We'll be fine," he assured against her hair, rubbing the side of her arm for good measure.

…..

Even the most cheerful of their company grew somber the further they walked-as though somewhere in their small, monkey brains they were aware of the dark, magical aura that surrounded them. For Eruka-and, she suspected, for Free as well-it was a constant buzz in the back of her mind, digging into her skull and causing no small amount of anxiety.

Free had long since grown tense beside her, and Eruka herself had trouble pushing forward through the thick miasma of sheer _evil_ that permeated the area. On one hand she was impressed by the amount of presence the other witch had, on the other she wondered _why_ she was making her location so obvious.

Regardless, Eruka didn't need her tracking spell to tell her that they had reached Medusa's house.

Just as they turned the next bend, a surprisingly normal cottage appeared in view. It wasn't anything fancy, nor did it scream "witch lives here!" It was even a bit worn in places, patched up in others-well used, well taken care of.

"This is it," Eruka breathed.

"This is her house?" asked Maka, coming to stand beside her.

Eruka nodded.

"Okay, you two stay back. Don't get in the way and you won't get hurt."

"You don't want our help?" Free asked.

Maka looked pointedly at his splint. "You two are in no condition to fight," she said, then paused as Soul appeared at her side. In a low voice she said something in his ear, waited as he nodded curtly, then watched him speed away to follow her orders. Afterwards, she turned back to Free and Eruka, speaking plainly, "Besides, I just don't trust you."

Eruka had suspected as much, and it worked well for their plan so it was a win-win. And it wasn't like she particularly cared what a human thought. So in response she simply nodded, demure and obliging, and watched as Maka brushed passed her to join her fellow guild members.

Eruka then looked to the guild members that closed ranks to talk amongst themselves. She wondered if they alone could stop Medusa-if maybe the brave, noble Maka and her bumbling troop were enough to defeat evil incarnate without help from Free or Eruka.

The thought remained a moment longer, before promptly being squashed.

 _Nah_.

Their ambush would have to be swift and deadly to succeed, anything less would give Medusa too much time to prepare. And nothing was faster or deadlier than Medusa.

Shaking her head, Eruka followed Free to a nearby viewpoint.

Together they found a small place to watch from the hill above, Free crouched and tense at her side. Below them, the warriors moved to close in on Medusa's house, nearly two dozen guild members moving in with an ease that spoke of years of practice.

It just wasn't enough experience to deal with Medusa.

Still, the humans were something to behold, moving as a unit as they wove in and out of the trees towards the small cottage in the distance. Maka was in the lead, closely followed by the ever-present Soul.

"Do you think they have a chance?" Free asked her, his voice low.

"No," Eruka answered, nails digging into the tree she hid behind. "We'll need to follow in with a counter attack as soon as possible."

"And what will that look like, exactly?"

"Kick her butt when she's weak."

"Fantastic plan."

"I don't see you coming up with anything better," Eruka hissed.

"No, I'm serious. I like it."

"If you're just saying that, I'm going to-" she froze, breath hitching. A wave of dizziness took over her senses as the thick, black miasma from before hit her directly in the chest. She pressed a hand to her heart, struggling to breathe.

Something was wrong.

Something was horribly wrong.

"She just cast a spell," Eruka gasped out, taking a step forward, head spinning at the weight of the magical power that had just been broadcasted throughout the forest. "Something _powerful_."

"I don't feel anything."

"You wouldn't, it's-" She shook her head. "All magic leaves a type of residue, like a fingerprint. I've sensed the remnants of Medusa's all the way up here, but this-this is a level of magic I've never experienced before. What the hell did she just do?"

Free turned back to the warriors, still creeping through the foliage. "Nothing seems to have happened. Are you sure it was her?"

"Yes. We need to stop them," Eruka said. "Now. It's a trap."

"But our plan-"

"I can't let them die like this," she said, surprising even herself. She turned to Free, frantic. " _Why_ can't I let them die like this?"

Free just laughed, chuckling lowly as he stood. "Let's go save the stupid humans."

"Oh gods, we're going to die," Eruka muttered. She took a deep breath before screaming towards the warriors in the distance, "MAKA-"

Which is precisely when everything went to hell.

Just as she spoke, a blast of wind tore through the forest, blasting outward from the unassuming cottage and sending several bodies flying as it flattened the grass and shook the trees. Free reached over and grabbed Eruka, turning them so his back was facing the wind, feet braced in the dirt. Before her vision was blocked, Eruka could see Maka scream something to her guildmates, but the sound was lost to the wind.

It ended as suddenly as it began, the billowing wind softening to a thin breeze before stilling completely.

"What was that?" Free asked, turning back around cautiously.

"Something's coming," warned Eruka.

A beat passed before countless, blood-curdling roars echoed throughout the field. The sound was loud, reverberating through the trees-and it was not made by any human, riddled as it was with snarls and snorts and chilling screeches.

And it was coming closer.

Eruka looked over at Free, the horror on his face confirming her worst fears.

Fully transformed werewolves burst through the foliage, their clothing old and shredded, barely hanging off their bodies. Their eyes were crazed, desperate almost, and they tore through anything and everything in their path.

The world seemed to have frozen in these brief moments, only to speed up beyond recognition once the first body was torn to pieces-the subsequent screams a quick, shrill burst of noise.

"Regroup!" Maka yelled into the chaos. "Reform ranks! Attack where they're weakest and avoid their claws!"

"Free, we need to leave. Now." Eruka said, watching the chaos unravel before her with wide eyes.

But no response came.

"...Free?"

At some point he must have fallen to his knees, a low growl rising from his bent back as he clutched his head with his good hand. His arm hair grew course and dark, and the claws on his sharpened to fine points, mimicking the fangs in his mouth.

He was changing.

Eruka crouched down beside him, a hand moving to his shoulder. "Free? Please, we can't do this right now."

"It's her," he growled, squeezing his bright, amber eyes shut. Sweat beaded at his forehead, dripping down the side of his face. His teeth clenched. "I don't know how long I can fight it."

"...Still helping people, I see."

Eruka felt a chill rush up her spine at the voice, soft and low and undeniably evil. Eruka turned to see Medusa, who looked down at her with a slow, provoking smile, arms folded. She didn't look surprised to see them.

"Medusa," Eruka breathed.

"Hello, Eruka," Medusa said calmly. "It really has been too long since I've seen my favourite toy. Relying on humans now, I see. This is low even for you."

Free snarled at this, jerking under Eruka's hand. Medusa's eyes moved to him for a moment, and her smile widened a fraction.

"And you've found a friend. Though it looks like he won't be yours for long."

Free growled.

Eruka wished she could say something, _anything_ -some sort of defiant speech or caustic slur that would articulate the storm of emotions in her chest. But she was frozen, only able to tighten her grip on Free's shirt, the contact her only comfort as her world slowly crumbled around her.

"A feisty one," Medusa mused. "A good fighter I presume? Maybe I'll let him be the one to rip you apart in the end. Think of it as a courtesy from one witch to the another. You _did_ bring me all these lovely sacrifices, afterall."

"Sacrifice _this_ , bitch!"

Eruka ducked away just in time as Maka leapt over her, blood-red scythe brandished high as she released a fierce, angry cry. The blade swung down towards Medusa, deflected in the last moment by a summoned black arrow that shot up from the ground.

Maka didn't let this deter her as she pulled back her weapon, planted her foot, and twisted from her torso to land a second powerful blow.

Another body flew at Medusa, an obnoxious blur of blue that announced every attack with a loud rooster call. Whoever it was, he made up for his lack of subtlety with speed and precision.

"You two should leave."

Eruka looked up to see Mifune hovering above them, blood splattered across his face, blades at the ready. "You two are in no condition to battle Medusa should we lose, and you're in no condition to battle Maka if we win."

Eruka could only stare, numb. Mifune continued, surprisingly patient given the situation. "Maka knows you're a witch, she'll kill you if she thinks you orchestrated the attack."

"You knew?" Eruka croaked.

Mifune smiled, fond. "I know another witch-she's young, far younger than you. Medusa killed her family, and I'm all she has left." He turned to face the witch in question, pulling yet another sword from the hefty scabbard at his back. "That's why I don't mind being a pawn in your scheme-because I'm going to kill her regardless."

With that, he left with a dramatic swish of his cloak, running at Medusa in a careful, long-limbed gait. The sound of clashing metal could be heard as he faced a series of black, darting arrows.

Free snorted, and Eruka turned to find him chuckling, the sound coming out strained and breathless in his current state. "I think he called you old," he scoffed.

"Are you seriously laughing _right now?_ " Eruka shrilled, digging her nails into his shirt. The feelings swirling inside her had her throat tightening and tears threatening to fall from her eyes. With some effort, she forced them back as she shook her head. "Nevermind, he's right, we need to-"

She paused, shoulders slumping.

Go where exactly?

How far would they get before Free eventually succumbed to Medusa's power and turned on her? Clearly the close encounter with the other witch had expedited the process, and as much as Eruka wished it wasn't the case-she wouldn't leave him.

Not now.

Not after everything they'd been through.

Even as these thoughts ran through her mind, Free looked up at her, waiting with pained yet patient eyes-willing to listen and follow her wherever she asked.

It nearly broke her.

Swallowing thickly, Eruka pushed herself to her feet, tugging Free up with her by the fabric of his shirt. "C'mon, we're going to the cabin," she said.

"What?"

"She might have something about the spell in there." Eruka ducked under Free's good arm, wrapping her own around his waist.

"Might?" It was said through gritted teeth, the strain of Medusa's magic still pulling at him. "No, Eruka, we have to get you away from here."

"Not with you like this," Eruka grunted, stumbling when Free tripped. He grabbed his head, snarling under the weight of the magic-so intense now that Eruka could feel the waves of its power coming off him.

"You need to get away from me," he snarled, pushing against her.

"No," Eruka snapped, fighting to keep them both upright as Free wiggled mutinously. "Stop it!" she hissed, frustrated tears brimming at her eyes.

"I could force you," he threatened, panting, hinting at her curse.

"You wouldn't do that to me," Eruka shot back. She knew, from the base of her very being, that he would never hurt her that way again-or in any way, really. It just wasn't who he was.

Free didn't respond, grinding his teeth together. Taking his silence as agreement, Eruka directed them towards Medusa's cottage.

This of course was no easy feat considering a battle was taking place between a hoard of werewolves and guildsmen. And their pace was slow, crippled as Free was by Medusa's power.

"It's like she's trying to make me move where I don't want to go," he explained as they traversed the length of the meadow. "Like I'm her fucking _puppet_."

Eruka pulled him to the left to avoid a werewolf being taken down by two humans. "Just a little further and all you have to do is stay still. We're almost there. Everything's going to be fine."

He scoffed. "You're such a liar."

"Shut up," she said, scrubbing the tears from her face. "What is it with you and laughing in life threatening situations?"

"Just trying to lighten the mood- _fuck!_ " The words ended in a growl as he stumbled, pulling free from Eruka. His claws grabbed at his head and raked down the side of his face as he curled into himself, scouring his skin with several bloodied claw marks. He roared in agony.

"No, no, no-Free, stay with me. Focus on my voice. Free!"

But when he looked up at her, there was no recognition in his eyes.

" _Shit_."

He lunged for her just as Eruka tripped over her feet to get away, landing on her side as his claws swiped inches away from her face. She shuffled backwards, the snarling beast approaching in slow steps as the wounds on his face bled freely.

Just as it seemed like he was about to attack again, his clawed came up to cover his face, growling and snarling as he fought with himself.

Eruka was up and running before either side won, not willing to wait and see if it was Medusa that had conquered. The cabin was close now, and she made herself focus solely on it as she ran through the battlefield, chest heaving as tears ran down her cheeks. Her only chance to save Free relied on her getting into that stupid cottage.

It would be protected with magic, but Medusa was currently distracted, so Eruka might be just powerful enough to unlock it. She just had to get there in one piece.

Eruka skidded to a halt as a mangy-looking werewolf crept onto her path on all fours, lips pulled back to show sharp teeth as it growled at her.

"You shouldn't be here!" a soft voice yelled as a dark haired woman jumped between Eruka and the wolf, lunging with her sword to pierce the beast in the heart. She jerked it back expertly before turning worried eyes on Eruka. "Are you alright?"

"I need to get to the cottage," said Eruka hastily. "The wolves are being control by Medusa, it's not their choice."

"You can stop it?" the woman asked, brows furrowing. "How?"

Eruka saw another wolf fall in the corner of her eye, imagined Free in its position, and the words burst out. "Look, I'm a witch, alright? But I promise I'm on your side so, please, _help me_."

The dark haired woman narrowed her eyes. "And if you make it worse?"

"I don't care! You have a weapon, you decide-right now, though, we have to _hurry!_ "

The woman hesitated long enough that Eruka considered ditching her, but finally she nodded. "Okay. Follow me."

Eruka nearly collapsed in relief. Instead, she followed the woman, who Eruka vaguely recalled shyly introducing herself as Tsubaki the day before. She wasn't shy now, dancing with her blade and carving lines into nearby enemies.

"How do you plan on stopping her?" she called back.

"I think the spell might still be in the cabin. If I can find its origin I might be able to reverse it," Eruka answered, keeping close to Tsubaki. "Are werewolves usually this easy to defeat?"

Tsubaki shook her head. "Not even remotely. Usually it takes ten of us to take down one, but whatever Medusa did made them weak. The problem is their number-they just keep coming. I don't know how much longer we can hold them off at this rate."

With Tsubaki's help, they advanced on the battlefield quickly, dodging some wolves and slicing through others.

"There," she called, pointing ahead. "There's an opening. Go now."

"Wait!" Eruka fumbled with the purse attached to her hip, opening it and digging around inside. Her fingers found the jar she sought and opened it, smearing her pointer finger with ash. With it, she reached out and drew an "x" on Tsubaki's bare shoulder.

"What did you just do?" Tsubaki asked, looking wary.

"For protection. Think of it as a thank you," Eruka said, already moving towards Medusa's house. "Please don't kill my boyfriend!"

" _What?_ "

Eruka rushed to the front door, immediately feeling the pushback of magic. Breathing heavily, she took out the same vial of ash she'd used on Tsubaki and sprinkled it in a line in front of the door. She dropped a leaf of sage on top of the line, lighting it with a snap of her fingers.

Closing her eyes and knotting her fingers together, Eruka said a quick, desperate chant. Willing with everything she had for it to weaken and _break_.

Weaken and break.

Weaken and break.

 _Weaken and break_.

A loud _snap_ resounded and Eruka opened her eyes, reaching to feel the door that was now free of magic. She laughed breathlessly, disbelievingly. Whoever was fighting Medusa must be giving her a run for her money because by all accounts that should _not_ have worked.

Shaking her head, Eruka pushed open the door and entered the cottage. Like the surrounding forest, it was thick with an evil miasma, though it was far more concentrated here. Eruka followed the black aura to the place where it was most concentrated, finding a small desk in the corner littered with melted candles and jars filled with black substances and decapitated rabbits.

Rushing over to the desk, Eruka rifled through the piles of paper. Several of them listed potential spells for werewolf control, showing diagrams that called for an amount of live sacrifices that made Eruka nauseous-but they were all crossed out with messy lines.

"Come on, Medusa, I thought you were better organized than this," Eruka muttered. Finally she spotted a page free of lines and grabbed it, scanning the words as fast as possible.

"I knew it!"

She was starting to get tired of people creeping up on her. Wearily, Eruka turned to find Soul behind her, glaring.

"I knew you were a witch."

She sighed. "Look, I'm just trying to-"

A wolf dove through the window then, scattering glass throughout the room. It's claws left jagged scores through the wooded floor as he skidded to a halt between them. His nostrils flared as he looked first to Eruka, then to Soul. Apparently, he decided Soul was more appetizing for he lunged towards him, easily overpowering the smaller male.

"Don't hurt him!" Eruka yelled once she recognized the clothes he wore. "That's Free!"

"It's _who!?"_

Free shoved Soul to the ground, hand raised, claws out. Not wanting Free to do anything he would regret, Eruka shouted. "His arm! Kick his arm!"

Desperate enough to listen to her, Soul kicked at Free's splinted arm, hard enough that an audible _crack_ was heard as the splint broke along with the healing bone. Soul rolled out from under him and hurried to the side of the room. Eruka winced in sympathy before turning back to the page in her hands.

"Okay, I have the incantation-really, she isn't very original, is she?"

"Incantation?"

"Yes, the one to reverse this mess. Now, shut up and keep him away from me."

" _Excuse me?_ " Soul shrieked, even as he moved to stand in front of her, albeit warily.

Eruka closed her eyes, willing the spell to separate from Free. "Arboc, arboc, ekans, ekan."

"Arboc, arboc, ekans, ekan."

" _Arboc, arboc, ekans, ekan_."

The sound of a body collapsing to the ground had her opening her eyes. Free lay crumbled on the ground, motionless, his arm bent at an awkward angle.

"Free!"

Eruka tossed the page aside, rushing to the werewolf and dropping down on her knees next to him. With some effort, she rolled him onto his back before reaching up to cup his face in her hands. He had returned to his human form, flesh still warm from the change. Carefully she reached for the wound on the side of his face, wiping away the blood to reveal unblemished skin.

A choked sob left her lips, and she looked over at his arm to see it slowly rotating back into place.

He was once again immortal.

"Eruka?"

Tears fell freely as Eruka looked back at Free, who looked up at her with golden eyes.

"I'm here," she said. "Everything's okay now."

"Not everything," Free growled. "Where's Medusa?"

Together with a frazzled Soul, Eruka and Free exited the cottage to find a very different battlefield upon emerging. Most of the werewolves had transformed back to human and were either collapsed, dead, or close to it. There were also a few injured or dead guild members, but they were in the minority.

"What's wrong with them?" Free asked, looking out at his people-all of them broken and defeated. "Why aren't they getting up?"

"They were likely under the spell too long. Who knows how many Medusa took control of."

Free looked sad at this, but Eruka was just selfishly glad he wasn't one of them. Wordlessly, she reached out to grip his arm in her hands.

Medusa, when they finally found her, was a disheveled mess-swords sticking out of her back, black blood falling down her lips. Her eyes darted to them as they entered the clearing.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who appeared worse for wear. The blue haired boy and Maka were also collapsed on the ground, both struggling to rise but clearly weakened from battle. Only Mifune remained upright, and even he only stood with the use of his sword as a crutch.

"Maka!" Soul cried, running towards her and falling to his knees at her side.

As they spoke, Medusa sent Mifune into a nearby tree, only to look back at Eruka and Free, spitting dark blood onto the ground.

Anything she was about to say was interrupted as Free released a loud, reverberating roar, charging her. He shifted as he ran, fur coating his body in a dark brown, his eyes free of their previous mind control.

Medusa slammed her bare foot against the ground and a black arrow burst from the dirt, aiming for Free's heart, but he slashed it out of the way, uncaring of resulting blood on his hands.

A second arrow burst forth at a swivel of her ankle, but a sword shot out from Mifune's direction, blocking it in time.

Medusa glared, losing her composure; she shot a final arrow as Free closed in, but he again slashed it away.

Soon Free stood before her, towering over the suddenly small witch.

Her mouth opened to speak.

He reached down and twisted her neck in one tight motion until it snapped.

The forest stilled following the sickening sound, and like a breath of fresh air, the thick miasma around them cleared as the the body fell to the earth in a _thud_. Eruka collapsed to her knees, feeling her own curse lift off her shoulders.

"Is she dead?" someone asked. "For good?"

"Yes," Eruka answered. "Best to salt the corpse though."

Turning away from the body, Free looked back to Eruka, smiling brightly, as only he could after snapping someone's neck. Eruka laughed despite herself, meeting him halfway as she rushes into his arms.

The kiss is a long time coming, and all Eruka can think of is how _bad_ he is at kissing and how undeniably _good_ it feels. When they pulled away, all they could do was smile at one another.

"So you're a witch," Maka said from somewhere behind them.

"Yes," Eruka said, not looking away from Free. "And if you have anything to say to that you can talk to my werewolf boyfriend."

Free grinned down at her, his eyes crinkling.


	6. Epilogue

Not surprisingly, they decided to stay together after that.

It wasn't a hard decision, nor was it necessarily a verbal one. They just sort of began the long trek home together, hand in hand. They talked of multiple things-Maka and Soul, Tsubaki, how babies were generally awful, the dichotomy between good and evil. They even discussed Medusa, but never their choice to remain together.

In a way, it didn't need to be voiced.

When they first returned home it was almost surreal to see that nothing had changed. Not even dust had had a chance to build up in the time that they had been gone-though it sometimes felt like months had gone by.

In the same wordless way, they had begun to settle in together. It was rough at first-they still disagreed-but for the most part they were happy. Eruka would cook her vegetables and Free would hunt for his fish, and every now and then they would take Jackson and the cart into town to sell goods.

They had even moved their beds together-though that was mostly Eruka. Free had come in one day to find her red-faced and glaring in the kitchen, their beds mysteriously pushed together-he'd just smiled, grabbed her face with his hands, and kissed her.

He didn't even mind the occasional frog that slept on his chest-and Eruka didn't seem to mind the nightmares that still sprang up so often. She would simply run her fingers through his hair and down his face as he held onto her and convinced himself that she was still alive

Every night they ate together at the shabby kitchen table Free built for them. On rare occasions, Eruka even let him catch a rabbit or two-which he ate happily along with the vegetables that she picked from her garden. In turn, he would go out into the forest and forage for nuts, berries, and mushrooms that could go into Eruka's salad.

…..

Now, as they lay in bed, naked and sated, Free stared down at Eruka, brushing her bare shoulder with his thumb. She had fallen asleep against his chest, clinging, snoring, and drooling. A small frog had hopped in to sit on her head, croaking softly to her.

He thought of the first time he saw her, her hair glowing in the moonlight, brushed by the wind in a way that directed her scent straight into his nose. He'd inhaled it like a man starved, and he hadn't stopped since.

Though it had been heartbreak that had brought him to her, he was happy that he'd gotten the chance to find her at all.

Unable to help himself, he kissed her snoring, drooling face-content when she smiled against his mouth and clung tighter.


End file.
